Thanks to Dev saab!

The journey of Dipshikkha Nagppal into showbiz has been a rather special one. The actress, who is currently seen in Megha Barsenge on Colors, says it was the legend Dev Anand who encouraged her to start acting.

“My family, particularly my nanaji, was already part of the film industry. My nanaji, from the silent era, had given breaks to legends like Dada Muni (Ashok Kumar) and Mehmood. My mom was a heroine in Gujarati films, and my dad was a director, writer and actor. Dev Anand, the legend, was looking for girls for his movie, and my mother took my sister and me to meet him. To my surprise, Dev saab wanted to sign me, not my sister, even though she was the one aspiring to become an actress. I was shocked and initially turned down the offer because acting was never my dream. I wanted to be Miss India or an independent corporate woman, maybe even a fashion designer. But Dev saab was persistent, and, eventually, he convinced me to work with him. I still remember his words: ‘Work with me, Deepshikha, and then don’t work with anyone else if you don’t want to.’ I finally agreed, though I insisted he also sign my sister. My first film was Gangster, and even though I thought it would be my last, it wasn’t.”