MUMBAI: Khatija Iqbal, who made her debut with ALT Balaji’s “Ragini MMS: Returns” and has acted in films and shows such as “Namastey England”, “Yeh Hai Chahatein”, “Jamai 2.0”, said her desire has always been to be recognized as a performer. 

Khatija said her aim is to be part of good projects and play characters that would make her grow as a performer. “I thrive for that each time I audition, to give my 100 percent. I want to do my best, flourish and be recognized as an excellent performer,” she says. She believes an actor should pick up or reject a project as per their individual choice and not be worried about the outcome.

“You need to know what you want and what you don’t want to do, once you have that vision clear then nothing is against you. You have to be wise enough to choose your projects as per your priorities, it can be tricky sometimes if it’s a battle between survival vs career,” she says, adding she likes to play tough and strong women characters.

Talking about her process of getting into the skin a character, Khatija says, she likes to bring her own take and nuances to a character, however at the same time she is also director’s actor.

For Khatija it is not easy to get in and out of a character. “It takes me time and a million questions to reach there but I eventually do. I admire theatre actors as they can switch on and off in any minute,” he adds.

The actor, who has acted across all mediums – film, web and TV, says she has learnt lessons from her own mistakes.

“As an outsider it all seemed fascinating to me and I have made terrible choices but I have learnt and now I know what I want! Maybe god wants you to learn that way so you never ever make foolish choices,” she adds.

Sharing a piece of advice for newcomers, Khatija says they must remain focused and keep working hard.

“Read, research, practice, everything is online, all the information needed is available. Just remain focused and keep working hard. Keep a small group of friends but make sure they are the right friends,” she suggests.