I don’t take opportunities for granted: Prateik Babbar

Mumbai, May 22 (IANS) With three films and a web series in his kitty, Bollywood actor Prateik Babbar is in a good space in his career. The "Jaane Tu... Ya Jaane Na" fame actor says there is a big shift in his approach towards his work, and so, he does not take any opportunities for granted.

"I was just 19 years old when I did my first film and had no plan to act, or to become an actor. It was like a paid holiday so that I could earn good pocket money and then party more with my friends. When I finally found my calling, I started learning and enjoying the craft. Now, I take the process seriously.

"Perhaps that is why I do not take the success and criticism (to heart). With time, the one thing that I have learnt is, never taking the opportunity for granted. Initially, the success went to my head so much that I lost it... I was young and to an extent immature as well," Prateik, son of Raj Babbar and late actress Smita Patil, told IANS.

Prateik started his career in Bollywood in 2008 and appeared in films like "Dhobi Ghat", "Dum Maaro Dum", "Umrika", "Baaghi 2" and "Mulk".

"Now for me, acting is all I want to do for the rest of my life. So I am going to give 100 per cent to it. Whether I am becoming poor or rich, famous or unknown, it does not matter... This is what I am here for," he added.

The actor's latest project is the sci-fi film "Skyfire", on OTT platform ZEE5. He plays a journalist named Chandra, who is in search of truth.

Was it tough to shoot a sci-fi show?

"Yes it was, because of several reasons. One of them is we finished a sci-fi show in three months, including post-production. The shooting was quite daunting and I had a lot of underwater scenes as well. The shooting hours were long, also my character has an interesting emotional graph," he said.

The actor is busy and waiting to share some of his films like "Chhichhore", "Darbar" and "Power", as well as another web series.

In his career, Prateik has got a chance to work with filmmakers like Nitish Tiwari and Mahesh Manjrekar and an iconic actor like Rajinikanth. He feels blessed.

"Getting to work with good filmmakers and getting to play good characters in films is so special. There are so many people out there waiting for one such opportunity. I have got so many of them, and I have learnt the value of it now."

Asked if he is getting more interesting offers on the web platform rather than in Bollywood, Prateik explained: "I wouldn't say that, but I think it has everything to do with the timeline. I have worked in a few films that prove my versatility as an actor because each of them is very different. But we must not forget that films usually take a longer time to get a good release than a web series.

"'Skyfire' got finished in three months. I am also working on another web series. My earlier works on the web also released much quicker than my films.

"So, the audience must have been thinking that I am working more on web than the big screen. That is not true. It is just the different timing because of two different mediums."