Everybody would have come across her beautiful face. From movies, TV serials to reality shows, Jasmin Bhasin is a home name in every Indian household. She has also done several Hindi and Punjabi music videos and swooned our hearts with her acting prowess. The gorgeous actress opens her heart and talks about the challenges she faced and finding strength through all adversities in our exclusive interview. Without any further ado, let’s get started!
1) You started your career with cinema down south, then moved onto mainstream soap operas for TV like ‘Dil se Dil tak’ and ‘Naagin’. You also did some reality shows like Fear Factor and Bigg Boss, a few music videos and then moved on to doing a Punjabi movie ‘Honeymoon’ as well. What has been creatively most satisfying so far?
I am grateful that I got to do a variety of different things in multiple zones of this industry.
However, since I am an actor, acting gives me the most pleasure. I think the most satisfying thing that I have done creatively was the shows that I did were the characters that I played. For instance, in Dil Se Dil Tak I played a Gujarati girl who was so convincing that people ended up thinking that I am actually a Gujarati. Well, I am a Punjabi girl with a very vernacular Punjabi accent born and brought up in Rajasthan. I think that was the most creatively satisfying thing that I have done till now- To do justice to a character so much that people counted it as my reality.
2) You have a flourishing TV career, and you also dabbled with south Indian and Punjabi cinema… is it going to be mainstream Hindi cinema next? Working with which director would be a dream come true?
I would love to be in mainstream Hindi cinema very soon. There are a lot of things that are happening, developments that are going on and I am in a process and hopefully, something will happen soon. Fingers crossed! Talking about directors Imtiaz Ali and Sanjay Leela Bhansali are my favourites. I think they create magic on screen and their method of storytelling is just too perfect!
3) You recently talked about your initial days in Mumbai, especially your first day in the city, and initial days of struggle… financial hardships. Please share your journey thus far. Do you feel gratitude for how far you have come?
My journey has been beautiful. It has ups and downs and everything that I’ve learned, the person that I am shaped into now, is because of the journey. I will not say it was easy, it was very difficult. And now when I look back at it, I feel really grateful to God. In fact, I thank the universe every day for giving me everything that I always dreamed of.
Imagine coming to this city without anything- no money, no roof, nothing. And then now, living here, being settled here, having everything, having a secure life, I feel really grateful. I always tell this to everybody, no matter how hard the times are, you just don’t have to give up. Because when the going gets tough, the tough get going. That has been my story.
Of course, the struggle has not yet ended. There are still a lot of challenges that I am going to face and my only goal is to keep growing through every phase that comes.
4) What gave you the strength to keep going?
Honestly, it was the fear of failure that gave me strength. I always wanted to give my best because I couldn’t afford to fail because I had left everything to do this as acting gave me happiness and pleasure. So I just never wanted to fail at it. And of course, slowly, as you start growing, you have people around you who love you. My fans, especially those who love and support me. They have been my biggest strength.
5) You are very fond of travelling… most special occasions you celebrate by travelling. What’s been your most memorable trip till date and why?
Travelling heals me. I love it! Every time I feel like I need a break, I pack back bags and travel. My most memorable trip has been all my trips to London last year. I went back-to-back, first I went in February, then I was again there in March and I think I just love that city. I’ve had some great quality time with my friends there. I also had a month when I was working. So the way I got to explore the city, I think it’s one of the most memorable trips of my life.
6) Your interfaith relationship has often been talked about. And yet your life is an open book. Do you ever feel it takes the focus away from your work?
Sometimes yes, it makes you feel like one part of your personal life overshadows everything. But that’s okay. That’s part of this profession we choose to be in. We put ourselves out there so we should be okay with everything. I take it in good spirits.
7) In your field, rejections are inevitable… How does it affect your mental health? And how did you deal with it when you went through that phase?
Initially, it used to affect me very badly because I used to come back home after so many rejections. Also financially, when you’re going through tough situations, there’s a different kind of mental pressure you have to deal with. But yes, my blessing in disguise is my ziddi attitude. I’ve been ziddi since childhood, and that’s really helping me. I don’t give up on my dreams that easily.
I have been through phases where I’ve been very low mentally. Mental health has been affected. At that time, I had friends around me to be my support system, to be my cushion. I’ve had sessions with people with whom you can talk and find a solution. There are always therapies that help you and they’ve helped me also.
Now, rejections don’t affect me so deeply but yes, somewhere they do. Because rejection in itself sounds like a negative word. And when you give it all, give your best and still, you are rejected. It is demotivating, yet it’s not the end of the world. And I will keep on going and one-day rejections will turn into selections and that day is not far, I feel. That’s how I keep my mental health happy. And of course, my pets really help me stay happy. They are my therapy for my disturbed mental health if I’m ever stressed.
8) Tell us something that sets Jasmin apart from the crowd as a person and a performer?
I am a completely different individual if you know me in my personal life as a friend. And I’m a completely different person if you know me just professionally as an artist, I keep my professional and personal life as two separate entities. On the work front, I’m very disciplined, and straight to the point while in my personal life, I’m more of a giver, emotional, and very sensitive. That’s about it. And I never bring my work stress, a professional life home. I can strike that balance that when I’m performing on my set, I’m only concentrating and thinking only about it. There’s nothing that’s coming from my personal life and affecting my work. And when I go back home, I’m just a simple, giving, sensitive person who doesn’t take any of her anger, discipline, or that OCD of having everything right at home. And it’s just all heart at home.
