No debutant is expected to be perfect. But when you are the first Roshan to foray into films since Hrithik Roshan’s overnight stardom with Kaho Naa... Pyaar Hai (2000), the barometer changes. Pashmina Roshan, daughter of composer Rajesh Roshan and cousin to Hrithik, understands the weight of expectations on her as she gears up for her maiden film, Ishq Vishk Rebound.

“I don’t think you can come close to Hrithik Roshan’s debut. I come from a family of great artistes. The audience cherishes everything my father, my uncle [Rakesh Roshan] and my cousin have done. I sometimes hear my father’s songs and wonder if I can ever match up to his art. I don’t see it as pressure as much as a dream to work towards,” says Pashmina.

That is how she intends to shape her career—as a blend of her personal dream and her family’s legacy. The beauty of carrying forward a legacy is that one can bring their own shades to it. “Hrithik stands for his own values while carrying forward the family legacy. I hope I’m able to do the same. I want to create work that I am proud of. I am nervous. It’s nervousness filled with happiness though.”

Ishq Vishk Rebound launches two newcomers, Jibraan Khan and her, alongside Rohit Saraf and Naila Grrewal. We would have brought up the nepotism question, but in an earlier chat with mid-day, producer Ramesh Taurani revealed that he learnt that Pashmina was a star kid only when the company started drawing up her contracts (‘Hrithik or Rajesh never asked me to consider her’, May 31). Did she dissuade her family from stepping in so that she could bag projects on merit?

“They are all so busy doing their own work. My family is of course invested, but you don’t sit and tell them of every audition you do, or every person you meet. This is one of the many auditions that I gave. Also, you don’t enter a room or meeting and say, ‘Hi, I’m Pashmina Roshan, I am Rajesh Roshan’s daughter.’ I’m not known in the movie circle. I know there is a lot of privilege, but it is like a ladder, ultimately, a person has to climb by themselves.”