It’s been 15 years now that Jannat Zubair Rahmani first faced the camera as a child artiste on the small screen. Over the years she became a recognized face on TV with her many stints at various shows including Ab Na Rahe Tera Kagaz Kora, Phulwa, Tu Aashiqui, Bharat Ka Veer Putra–Maharana Pratap, Siyaasat, Aap Ke Aa Jane Se and others.

However, in 2018, she consciously chose to stay away from TV and in the last five years took to social media in a big way, and also released a couple of singles. She featured in Bollywood films like Aagaah-The Warning, Luv Ka The End, Hichki, among others. Now she is looking at Bollywood and has some projects lined up already. Jannat speaks to Bombay Times about it all.

Jannat began her journey as a child star and while she went on to become a young diva soon enough, she did see ups and downs over the years. When we ask her if she wants to change anything in her journey, the 21-year-old says, “I began as a child actor, and my remarkable journey has been filled with adventures, experiences, abundant love, and is what I would describe as a roller coaster ride. Nevertheless, I wouldn't want to alter anything because I have gained immense knowledge, had the opportunity to meet countless individuals, and travelled extensively. The amount of experience I have acquired is invaluable. I genuinely love my profession, and this sentiment has remained unchanged since the very beginning.”

Jannat was inspired to get into acting because of her actor-father Zubair Ahmad Rahmani and her first appearance on TV was in 2008. However, in the last five years, she hasn’t been seen on TV. Are you consciously staying away from TV, we ask, and she promptly replies, “Yes, I am consciously trying to stay away from TV.”

Talking to us about how she began her journey, Jannat says, “My first television appearance was in 'Chand Ke Paar Chalo' on NDTV Imagine. I didn't actually quit acting or doing daily soaps, I decided to take a break from television in 2018. This decision was conscious as I had been working continuously since childhood and wanted to take a break. I wanted to explore new opportunities and try something different. Hence, I stopped doing TV shows after 'Tu Aashiqui,' which aired on Colors.”

Jannat has been appreciated for her acting prowess and now she is looking at a Bollywood career seriously. She has also featured in Bollywood films like Aagaah-The Warning, Luv Ka The End, Hichki, among others. Any new projects that are coming up, we ask. “Yes, I have been a part of these three films. Currently, we are putting in great efforts to find the perfect script for my debut because first impressions hold significant importance. This opportunity is going to be a major milestone in my career and for my future. So, we are eagerly awaiting the right opportunity to come our way. However, I must mention that we have several exciting projects lined up, and I am eager to share all the details with you once everything is officially confirmed,” says Jannat.

In the last few years Jannat has been very active on social media and confesses that it has had a huge impact on her life. “Social Media has been incredibly special to me, and it has had an exceptional impact on both my personal life and career. Initially, I never anticipated delving into this space, as it was relatively new at the time. However, I am immensely grateful for the overwhelming love and support I have received from people. Understanding the preferences of my audience and followers is important. Consequently, I have focused on understanding their interests and desires to shape the content I share on my platform—be it videos or pictures. My utmost effort is dedicated to providing the content they genuinely want to see. I firmly believe that the more relatable and organic the content, the more it resonates with individuals. And it has worked really well for me.”

Being on social media is tough, especially so for a youngster like her. There is a lot of pressure, and social media is quite demanding too. Jannat agrees and quips, “Being on social media is definitely tough. It comes with a lot of pressure and a lot of responsibilities. However, over the years, I have gained an understanding of how to handle these things. You have to be extremely cautious about everything you do and post because even a small wrong action could lead to a very bad situation. I really don't want to face any of those consequences, and I don't want any of my followers, especially teenagers, children, and kids, to have a negative perception of me or for their parents to be concerned. Since my followers are not very mature individuals, it's crucial to ensure that everything I do is suitable and appropriate for them. Therefore, there is a certain amount of pressure and responsibility that I have always faced, but I believe I now know how to deal with it. So, it's all cool.”

One of many realities of today is dealing with trolls on social media. While Jannat does find it to be disturbing, she also has, over the years, learnt to deal with nastiness online. “I believe there's not much we can do about it. We do provide them with the option to comment on us or even make posts that may not be in our favor. However, I think it's acceptable because there's nothing I can do to change it, and that's a bit disheartening. The situation has escalated significantly, with an overwhelming amount of hate, nasty comments, and unwarranted negativity. It's truly saddening to witness why people are so bothered by everything we do, even though it's something that many others are also doing. They always find a way to point out flaws and troll us. Nevertheless, it's fine because the best approach to dealing with it is to simply ignore it.”

Apart from acting, and being a social media influencer, Jannat is also a singer and her first song released way back in 2019. “I’m so grateful that people have consistently supported my work, even during my childhood and up until now, as I have transitioned to other endeavours, including my recent venture of singing. When my first song was released on my 18th birthday, we didn't really think that I’d pursue it as a profession. However, after the release of my previous song 'Babu Shona Mona,' I realized that this is something I genuinely wanted to explore as a proper career choice. Since then, I have been diligently searching for the most suitable songs for my voice. Recently, 'Kayfa Haluka' was released. It feels like it all happened quite randomly for me. I used to hum songs in my house, and my dad would say, 'Oh, you sing really well. Your voice is quite sweet. Let's give it a try.' And that's how it all started.”