It's not easy being a woman producer: Prernaa Arora

The rapid rise of Prernaa Arora and her production house KriArj Entertainment is the stuff celluloid dreams are made of. Within a relatively short span of two years, and with unmatched elan, Prernaa has consolidated her position as Bollywood’s only female producer. After delivering three big successes with Akshay Kumar — Rustom, Toilet: Ek Prem Katha and the most recent Pad Man, in the coming years Prernaa will be producing some of KriArj’s biggest projects.

Currently, she has her hands full with as many as eight films starring actors like Shahid Kapoor, Anushka Sharma, Yami Gautam, John Abraham and Anil Kapoor to name a few. The power producer has also been taking home most awards at various award events for socially relevant yet commercially successful content. In an interview, Prernaa opens up about making her presence felt in a man’s world.

How does it feel when you are called the female Karan Johar in Bollywood?
(Laughs) I don’t know if Karan Johar would like that! But I’d rather be known as Prernaa Arora. From the time I can remember, I wanted to be a producer just like my father Virendra Arora. We owned a circus called Kamala Circus that was named after my nani. So showbiz is in my blood!

Did you grow up watching Hindi films?
Oh yes! In Dehradun, where I grew up, there was nowhere for a growing girl to go. I never believed in the culture of pubs and late nights. My parents never had to stay up for me anxiously. I was always at home watching vintage classics. I love the movies of Hrishikesh Mukherjee, Basu Chatterjee and Anil Ganguly. I have seen films like Anand, Bawarchi, Chit Chor, Piya Ka Ghar and Tapasya so many times that I know them by heart.

Considering you look better than many of the actresses you work with, have you ever thought of becoming a leading lady?
Never! It was always production for me. And I am so glad I stuck to my decision of becoming a producer. I am thoroughly enjoying my job. It is challenging to put together projects and watch them grow in front of you. It’s almost like the pride of a mother who sees her child growing up in front of her. Luckily for me, I have a production partner, Arjun N. Kapoor, who’s as driven and passionate about cinema as I am.

Did these ‘middle-of-the-road’ filmmakers and their films influence you to become a filmmaker?
Oh absolutely! These filmmakers made me realise that films can be entertaining and meaningful. I’d never produce mindless entertainers. I am sure of that! My partner Arjun and I have the same taste in cinema. So we were both on the same page when we produced our first film Rustom. When that became a hit, we were immediately an established production company. That was followed by Toilet: Ek Prem Katha and now Pad Man. I am blessed!

What was it like working back-to-back with Akshay Kumar on three films?
He is my inspiration and my guiding light. I look up to Akshay sir. I love his choice of cinema. Thanks to him, we at KriArj have had cent per cent success so far. If I had my way, my production house would collaborate only with Akshay sir. Look at the kind of cinema he does! Whether it is toilet sanitation or menstrual hygiene, he is not shy of giving social issues an engaging twist.

As a woman in a man’s world, was it difficult to make your way into Bollywood?
I won’t lie to you; it’s not easy being a woman producer. But there is Ekta Kapoor before me. The image of an average film producer in Bollywood is very different from what I represent. So yes, initially there was a certain amount of resistance I faced in this so-called male domain. But I was adamant. I made sure I didn’t use my gender to make any headway. Equality of the sexes according to me is about equal opportunities for men and women. Don’t pull up a chair for me just because I am a woman. But don’t pull that chair from under me either.

Have you had bad experiences in the film industry?
Nothing to complain about and nothing to feel sorry about! The three films that KriArj has produced so far have all made my parents proud of me. For my next two films, Pari and Parmanu: The Story Of Pokhran, KriArj has collaborated with Anushka Sharma and John Abraham. I hope these collaborations are as successful as our three films so far have been. We want to continue our interrupted success. We are greedy (laughs).

Pad man, Pari, Parmanu, Pokhran… what’s you connection with the letter P?
(Laughs) Yes, come to think of it, P is as lucky for me as K is for Ekta Kapoor.

Yes, and look what happened to your film Kedarnath which starts with K, instead of P?
I am not saying anything right now. All I will say is that one has to take the good with the bad. No bouquet of roses comes without the thorns. God has been very kind to our production house. We hope to continue making films that would make Hrishikesh Mukherjee and Basu Chatterjee smile.

Any plans of remaking any of their films?
I’d love to. And I am considering it. But their films are so perfect in their mellow happy mood. I am scared to tamper with them. We are doing a remake of Satyen Bose’s classic Raat Aur Din, where the very beautiful Aishwarya Rai Bachchan will play the legendary Nargisji’s role.

You can play the lead in Raat Aur Din yourself!
No thank you! I am happy being behind the camera. Maybe one day I’ll direct a film.