Pernia Qureshi, after separating from ex-husband Arjun Prasad, has been juggling between Mumbai and Delhi; will be heading on a Kuchipudi India tour next
Sanyukta Iyer (MUMBAI MIRROR; August 7, 2015)

Daughter of Delhi-based meat magnate Moin Qureshi, Pernia Qureshi's wedding was the talk of the town after news spread that her John Galliano-designed gown had cost Rs 80 lakh. The actress tied the knot with UK-based banker, Arjun Prasad, in 2011, and they moved into an apartment in Lodhi Gardens, paid for by the bride's father. In less than a year, the couple split. Hot-headed Arjun reportedly got into a spat with Priyanka Gandhi's high-profile husband, Robert Vadra, at the launch of a nightclub. He also supposedly got into a verbal altercation with Amar Sareen, Pernia's former friend. There was also talk of Arjun taking off with some of his father-in-law's money. Last heard, Arjun was cooling his heels off in Dubai.

Elegant and dignified, Pernia insists that the experience hasn't put her off the institution. "At the moment I'm happy being single and busy with my work. But when the time is right, I will marry. Right now, I am focussing all my energy on work," she asserts, with her head held high. The fashionista-turned-fashion designer makes her acting debut today in Umrao Jaan director, Muzaffar Ali's comeback film, Jaanisaar. The period romance set 20 years after the First War of Indian Independence in 1857, has her as Noor, courtesan who has lost her heart to an Indian prince, Ameer, brought up in England, played by Pakistani actor, Imran Abbas Naqvi. Before the film went on the floors last year, Pernia trained with Kathak maestro, Pandit Birju Maharaj, in Delhi. "Not all dancers are great teachers but Maharajji is both. We grew close during the course of our one-on-one dance sessions and I will cherish his teachings forever," says Pernia, recalling how she kept looking towards Ali for approval when they were shooting a Kathak dance, but he kept a poker face, only complimenting her after the shoot was over. "His opinion really matters because I know Muzaffar sir never says anything flattering or frivolous. But he has always made his women look sensual and I trust him implicitly."

Next month, she takes off on a nationwide Kuchipudi dance tour and plans to start learning Odissi next year. What about movies? Pernia admits that there are no offers in hand, at the moment. "I'd rather wait and do a great film with a director I look up to than one just for the heck of it," she shrugs.

You only have to look into her beautiful face to know this isn't just another actress. Her parents insisted she complete her education before pursuing a Bollywood career.

She got a Masters degree in dance from the US and returned to India five years ago. Her first job was as costume designer for childhood buddy, Sonam Kapoor's home production, Aisha. "It was by a random coincidence that I got associated with the romcom. I was barely paid anything but I enjoyed it since it was my first real job," she reminisces with a smile.

She's often been in the news for her close bonding with Sonam Kapoor and of late, Jacqueline Fernandez. But she's quick to point out that they are not her only friends. "I have no hang-ups. I get along with everyone from my generation, even if they are rival designers like Masaba (Gupta) and Nikhil (Thampi). They are my close friends," says Pernia who has launched her own clothing line, a pop-up store and multiple fashion labels. "I want to go international with my line and store by year end," she signs off.

The stylist will move to Mumbai to join films as soon as she develops a thick skin
Mitali Parekh (MUMBAI MIRROR; March 1, 2015)

Pernia Qureshi is first and foremost a Kathak and Kuchipudi dancer. Then she's a stylist, entrepreneur, author, designer and lately an actor. "I'm not used to having a free moment," says the 26-year-old. "I'm a boarding school child. My endeavour has been to find financial independence through things that I love doing so it doesn't seem like work. I'm not there yet, but slowly I will be." Her interest in fashion led to an internship with Cosmopolitan when she was on vacation in India. She discovered she liked it and followed it up with more work in New York.

A liberal upbringing opened these avenues to her. "Coming from a conservative Muslim family, my mother was never allowed to pursue her passion for dance. The first thing she did when here was sign up for Kathak. My sister and I would go along with her. But only I ended up pursuing it," she says.

Qureshi was first noticed as part of the fashion power posse; the other members being actress Sonam Kapoor, producer-cum-stylist Rhea Kapoor, stylist Tanya Ghavri and make-up artist Namrata Soni. They all met while working on Aisha. "Rhea and I clicked at a party because we are both extroverts," she says. "They already had a stylist on board. A few days later, she called me to say that their costume designer couldn't do the movie. I hadn't worked on a movie before, but I learnt on the job." The movie bombed but the team became power brokers in the world of fashion retail.

Since then, she has entered the online fashion retail space with Pernia's Pop-up, designed a pret line, written a book on style called Be Stylish, performed at the 2010 Commonwealth Games opening ceremony as part of Raja Reddy's troupe. Later this year, she debuts in designer director Muzaffar Ali's period drama Jaanisar.

"I love performing. I would even do it for an audience of one," says Qureshi, who studied in Woodstock, Mussoorie before studying pre-law at George Washington University in USA. "I think I always wanted to act, but did not admit it. We tend to judge people a certain way when they say they want to be actors. Isn't it a profession like any other? You work at it, you get paid for it, you enjoy it..." Muzaffar Ali, a friend of the family was over at their Delhi home one Eid, and he saw Qureshi dressed in a sharara. He called the next day to check if she'd do the film since he needed a strong Kathak dancer. "We did a screen test and he said I had potential. It's hard to get a compliment out of Muzaffar-uncle, so I thought I should give it a chance."

With a doorway into movies, she now wants to try to make it mainstream. "I want to do all sorts of movies — rom-coms, action, a negative role, something with dance, definitely, even Bollywood dancing," she says. Currently, she's looking for a place in Mumbai's suburbs that are the green room for starry-eyed strugglers. "My needs are simple. I am looking for a house that's easy on the eyes — in neutral colours and in which you can breathe," she says. The only way she's prepping herself for the move is by "developing a thick skin". "When you are an actor," she says, "Everyone has an opinion on your work and life." In Delhi, Qureshi and her Pakistan-born mother Nasreen circulate in hallowed circles. They are front-row regulars at Dior shows in Paris and famously bought out a complete Monisha Jaising collection fresh off the ramp. The family has roots in Rampur and her meat exporter father, Moin Akhtar Qureshi is currently under the Income Tax department's microscope for alleged hawala dealings. It's a subject Qureshi passes off with a 'no comments' just like her short-lived marriage to London-based chartered accountant Arjun Prasad, a close relative of union minister Jitin Prasada. The wedding took place in 2011, with the bride flying down the Armani Prive team for fittings for a pre-wedding gown.

"I'll try everything and give it my 100 per cent, but if it isn't working out, I'll just let it go," she says about her multiple projects, but she could well be talking about relationships.

It would be easy but lazy to pigeonhole her as a girl who likes dressing up. "I think if you spend more than five minutes deciding what to wear, you should get a job or learn something new," she says. "On a day-to-day basis, what I wear depends on what I am doing and how I feel about my body. Most of my life, my routine has been to get up and wear a salwar-kameez, and go to dance class. Then, if I am meeting someone in office, I'll wear a dress. If I am going to be indoors, I'll go in sweats. If I'm feeling fat, it'll be a shift dress."

Qureshi's life is a juggle between throaty Urdu, half-saris and a Nikhil Thampi cut-out gown for the evening. Ask her if she finds herself feel the pressure to be a poster girl for liberal Islam, and she says, "No. Why should I? As proud as I am about my roots, I want to be known for myself and what I have made for myself. Not anything else."