Will always be associated with hockey says Chitrashi Rawat

Says petite B-Town beauty Chitrashi Rawat in an interview with TOI

For this petite hockey player who has represented her state Uttarakhand at the national level, life took a U-turn at the tender age of 16 after she was picked to play the role of Komal Chautala in Chak De! India. "That film changed the course of my life.

It felt as if I had become a superstar overnight and at such a young age, it felt like an alien concept for someone who had never dreamt of being a part of this industry. However, I was not very keen on acting even after Chak De! India but started getting good offers and went with the flow," smiles Chitrashi, who is in Vadodara to shoot for Palchhin.

However, she adds, "I have been playing hockey since I was a kid and will always be associated with the game. I have still got the skills!" As talk veers towards films again, she says, "When Chak De... happened, I had no clue what was happening around me. You may not believe it, but I didn`t know anything about this profession, and had never even heard of institutes like National School of Drama. Working with Madhur Bhandarkar in Fashion actually made me realize that I can act. It was a turning point of sorts. And now, I feel I pretty much belong here!"

She still has some endearing childish traits in her, which comes to the fore when she says with a laugh, "After one week of shooting in Vadodara, when no one offered me Gujarati food, maine sets pe bahot drama kiya! I love Gujarati food, especially dhokla. I find this Gujarati way of using `ben` and `bhai` of addressing people really sweet."

Chitrashi, who has also done reality shows like Iss Jungle Se Mujhe Bachao and Comedy Circus 2, feels, "Being more of a spontaneous actor, comedy wasn`t easy for me but I loved doing Iss Jungle....."

Off-screen, she describes herself as "a positive and bindaas girl. Thankfully, my parents are very liberal. My father was always very secure about me because he knows I am mature enough to handle my career. Besides, I have always been very independent girl who does what she believes in."