With a host of sisters joining the filmi bandwagon, Bollywood has a new member to welcome. Tejaswini, the well known younger sister of renowned actress Padmini Kolhapure, has ventured into the world of movies with the movie Panch. With her love for acting, Teju, as she is fondly known among her friends, hopes to make it big in her own way. Sitting in a pair of pajamas and a t-shirt, Tejaswini cuts a pretty picture with a smile very similar to that of her sister's, she starts narrating her story going all the way back to her college days when she started modelling .

" There was this photographer who was hounding me like crazy for pictures. But then, on everyone's insistence, I decided to do a shoot with Gautam Rajadhyaksha", says Tejaswini. Commercials with Vimal, Frooti, and Hamam followed. Tejaswini's foray into the world of high fashion started with the Femina Miss India pageant of 1996, following which she started walking the ramp. "Ever since my college days in Narsi Monjee, I had been getting offers to act but never took it up seriously, as I was not sure if I could really act," Tejaswini discloses. It was while working for Jet Airways as an air-hostess that she discovered her talent for acting.

Majorly disillusioned with her airlines job, she gave it up and concentrated on acting. The first opportunity that came to her was a TV serial with Satish Kaushik: Mujhe Chand Chahiyee. "My decision was supported by my family even though it was an entirely unglamourous role. The script was so difficult that I had to mug it up like a parrot. But it was terrific and an excellent learning experience for me," says Tejaswini.

Apart from doing television, Tejaswini has done several platform shows at the Prithvi Theatre under Markhand Adhikary, acting in plays such as Sabse Bara Thag and The Magic Pill. Tejaswini asserts, "Theatre gives you the chance to learn so much when it comes to the art of acting and allows you to grow as a performer." After testing various waters and contemplating what to do, Teju was asked by her brother in law Tutu Sharma if she wanted to do 'Panch' which can be regarded as an experimental film. "I was just waiting for the right kind of role to come my way, as I did not intend to start off with running around trees and singing songs. I wanted a central and good role," says Tejaswini. She plays the lead role of' Shiuli in Panch, which is directed by Anurag Kashyap and due for release in January. Hers is a tomboyish kind of a character who is part of a rock band and wants to make it big in life. Shiuli is flirtatious, and on backslapping terms with her friends and very different in character from the usual heroines you see on screen.

"It was very satisfying to act in such films as one gets to do quality work," asserts Tejaswini. She is also set to act in a film alongside Govinda and in another film with Sanjay Dutt. "I just cannot wait for the shooting for these movies to start," says Tejaswini with a lot of excitement in her voice. With a passion for food, she says, "I love to eat Mangalorean food which my mother cooks. I have eaten in each and every restaurant you can think of in Mumbai. My favourites are Gazali , Indico and Konkan Cafe." Unlike most girls of her age she feels that she has outgrown the stage of going out to pubs and partying till the wee hours. Says Tejaswini, "For me it is my career that comes first and I will give it my best shot. It is acting all the way. "

By: Sharmistha Chatterjee

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