Zareen's debut on small screen

Actress Zareen Khan, after acting in a good number of films in Bollywood, is making her debut on small screen with 'Jeep Bollywood Trails', a series which goes on air from January 25 on AXN at 8 pm. She is thrilled to have been part of this show, where she drove on her own to various places in the north.

The speciality of the show is that it features places like Druk School and Pangong Lake, where popular film '3 Idiots' was shot. In this episode, director Raju Hirani talks to Zareen and shares his experiences on making the film, his love for mountains and more. So basically, this show features those picturesque places where many Bollywood films have been shot, and left us awestruck. Manali for 'Jab We Met' featuring Imtiaz Ali, Shimla for 'Bang Bang' featuring Siddharth Anand, Varanasi for 'Raanjhanaa' featuring Anand L Rai and Udaipur for 'Dhadak' featuring Shashank Khaitan are few of the ten episodes of the series.

The concept of the show sounds unique. What hooked you to sign up for it?

I am an avid traveller. So when I was offered this show, I somehow loved it and wanted to go for it. Whenever I get an off from work, I make sure I travel somewhere. I cannot ask for a better project to make my television debut. There is a lot more than just being the host of the show. I drove the Jeep myself and explored various places. The experience has been amazing. The excitement before beginning the show, and after almost completing it, is something I cannot describe in words. To feel how special and beautiful it is, one has to experience it.

Which place did you like the most?

I loved Ladakh. It was breathtakingly beautiful. I have been wanting to go to Ladakh since sometime but something or the other came my way and it never happened. Now that this show has come on my way, I finally went to Ladakh. The lakes there especially, are amazing. Water there is so clear that you can see the sky reflecting in water, just like a mirror image. Being there was a great feeling.

Why do think 'Jeep Bollywood Trails' is different from any other travel-based show?

This is not a show, which just shows you some beautiful locations in north and east India, but it features people from Bollywood who have some personal stories to share, when they worked at these places. Filmmakers tell the audiences why they chose these places and it is going to be a lot of fun. Also, we made sure that in case people want to travel there, we give them some genuine information too.

Acting in a movie or hosting for a show- which one is more challenging for you?

When I am working for a movie, I have get into the skin of the character. am not Zareen at all. I have to transform myself into what I am playing. But when it comes to working for a television show, audiences will not see me as someone else and all they get to see is Zareen as herself, having lot of fun and truly being herself. Both the jobs have their own challenges, but I can say that acting for the film feels like more pressure on me. I enjoyed working for 'Jeep Bollywood Trails' and every second I worked for the show has given me so many memories that I would cherish for the lifetime. I did something that I love doing the most, and it is nothing but tasting local food. I also, met so many new people and made new friends too, as I like to socialise.

You made your debut in Telugu film industry with 'Chanakya' last year. Are you working on any Telugu films now?

I have got some scripts and I am going through them. As of now, nothing has been finalised. Working for an alien language film has been a great experience. Meanwhile, I have one Hindi film and two Punjabi films in my kitty and they are lined up for releases one after the other.