Prerna Arora’s aura for reel stories

At 28, she is one of the youngest producers in Bollywood, whose debut production, Rustom, is doing well at the box-office

Born and brought up in the foothills of the Himalayas, Dehradun girl Prerna Arora has successfully made her way to the second largest film industry in the world — Bollywood. The 28-year-old, who spearheads Kriarj Entertainment Pvt Ltd, is now soaking in the great response their production Rustom has been getting at the box office. The production house was previously headed by her father Virendra Arora and now she has successfully taken on the reigns.

The business of entertainment seems well rooted in Prerna’s genes —her grandfather owns one of Mumbai’s favourite circuses — Kamala Circus. Speaking of her journey, Prerna says, “Many women enter the industry with the aim of becoming an actress, rather than being a producer or director, which is the real challenge. There are a handful of women who are in the creative space in the industry and nobody should point a finger at them saying they are women and they have it easy. These women become what they choose. The industry comprises of highly intelligent and talented people, not intelligent men or women.”

Prerna reveals that she has not taken a vacation in two years, as she totally wanted to devote herself to the mega project at hand. “Performance speaks and it’s survival of the fittest here. Right now this is my life, picking up my phone and deciding my work schedule. Currently, I’m living my dream and I have struggled to be here.”

Not a morning person, Prerna likes to plan her schedule well ahead of time and when she is not cracking deals and catching up with her actors, she likes to watch films. “I’m a night owl and I prefer working late in the nights. I always make sure to watch at least two to three movies every day before going to sleep. I don’t watch TV but I hire DVD’s and watch them,” says the young producer.

But there is something besides films, that gets her adrenaline pumping, and no, it’s not her workouts. “In fact, it has been a carnival cycle since two years now, I don’t remember hitting the gym in the last few years but fortunately I have been blessed with good genes. Shopping is my obsession and my biggest stress buster. When not at work you may see me at the Christian Dior or the Burberry store. They are like my second home,” she says with a smile.

A girl should be two things: classy and fabulous, said Coco Chanel and Prerna lives by that maxim. “It’s inspirational to wear clothes by Versace and Coco Chanel because they are not just fashion icons but people who have built an empire with their vision. Couture from Christian Dior makes you feel different, you are in this amazing posture after wearing it. For casual wear I prefer wearing boy jackets from Gucci.” When not preoccupied with films, Prerna still prefers to lose herself in the world of visuals, “I love colours — black and white reading never appealed to me. I have a huge collection of Archie comics and I also read a lot about enhancing and improving my skin. My friends always seek advice from me when it comes to their skincare regime.”

Now that her film is out of the way, Prerna hopes to finally make time for a holiday. “Even though I really enjoy travelling, I haven’t really had the time to indulge in it at all. I’ll take some time off now and explore a few places in my wish list like Japan, China, Europe and Paris,” she signs off.