'When I Go To A Hotel, I Check Under The Bed'

'A Lufthansa crew member reached a hotel in the middle of night and slept.'
'The next morning, something fell and she bent to pick it up.'
'She saw a dead body under the bed!'

After working as a flight attendant, Priyanka Setia moved to modelling, theatre, and finally, OTT series.

In the last 10 years, she has done films and shows like Hawaizaada, Begum Jaan, Sacred Games, Aranyak, Rudra: The Edge of Darkness, Sirf Ek Bandaa Kaafi Hai and Khauf, the horror series,

"There was a lot of emotional turmoil, fear, guilt and unpredictability," Priyanka tells Patcy N/Rediff about her Khauf role.

What made you say yes to a horror series like Khauf?

The script.

It was offered to me, and I auditioned for the part.

When I read the script, it was so beautiful that I instantly thought what amazing writing.

Do you like watching horror?

Love it! I am a horror buff.

Did you have any eerie experiences on set while shooting for Khauf?

No. But I had anxiety.

I am usually an anxious person but during this shoot, it was more.

I thought it could be because of the heat or the nonstop shoot or that I wasn't resting or eating enough.

But later, when I reflected on it, I realised the show was tough.

In it, a crime happens, and four girls are a part of it.

These girls are not allowed to leave the haunted hostel.

They can't tell the warden that something is wrong because nobody else can see or feel it, so they don't believe it.

My character Reema is not allowed to see her daughter; my husband has stopped talking to me.

So there was a lot of emotional turmoil, fear, guilt and unpredictability.

I am pregnant in the series, so I am also scared about that. What will happen to the baby I'm carrying?

Thinking about these things affected my mind.

Have you experienced any eerie moments in your life?

No, but some instances have stayed with me.

I used to be a flight attendant for Lufthansa.

Once, I was staying at a hotel in Kolkata, and was on the phone, talking to my boyfriend. It was night, and I was in a corridor.

At the end of the corridor, there was this one room, whose doors were barricaded with wooden planks.

I found that very strange because usually hotel properties in India are gorgeous.

Later, I got to know that the room was haunted, that's why it was barricaded.

Then, there was a story from a Lufthansa crew member, where that person reached a hotel in the middle of night and slept.

The next morning, something fell and she bent to pick it up.

She saw a dead body under the bed!

After that, whenever I go to a hotel, I check under the bed.

You work alongside brilliant actors like Rajat Kapoor and Geeta Kulkarni in Khauf.

I decided to up my game to match them.

I saw them working and realised they are such nice, humble people. No tantrums.

I know Geetudidi from my theatre days. I have seen how meticulous and hardworking she is.

I had a scene with her where she's drunk.

Before the scene started, since evening, she started talking to everybody on set like she was drunk.

Everybody was wondering if she was really drunk or just preparing for the role.

Rajat sir is so humble. He always knew his lines.

Shilpa Shukla was also very controlled on set. Even if there was too much heat or pareshani on set, she had no nakras.

Tell us your experience on the sets.

It was beautiful.

In the series, Chum's (Darang) character and my character don't get along and we keep fighting.

But Chum and me were like best friends on set. We used to come together, leave together, eat together.

Even if my scene was getting late, she would wait for me. Our vanity vans were together.

Tell us about yourself.

I am from Bareilly, Uttar Pradesh. I pursued my BSc in agriculture in Nainital.

Then I came to Delhi and flew for Lufthansa for six years.

I was modeling simultaneously.

Someone in my modeling agency asked me to shift to Bombay.

I met Anurag Kashyap on a flight; he was coming back from the screening of That Girl In Yellow Boots in Venice.

He suggested that I try theatre and gave me Makarand (Deshpande) sir's number.

I shifted to Bombay, lied to my family that Lufthansa had sent me there.

Otherwise, my family of doctors would never have allowed me.

Makarand sir was generous enough to let me continue to fly and rehearse on holidays.

In Lufthansa, you can plan your roster, so I started taking short flights.

When I started getting more roles in theatre, I decided to quit my job and continue acting.

How did your parents react when you finally told them?

They were very, very, angry.

Bhai, ek toh they were angry that I wanted to be a flight attendant.

My father is a doctor. My brother is a neurosurgeon. My dadu was a doctor in Punjab. My chachu was also a doctor.

I was a rebel kid.

They were actually very scared and rightly so, because it is a struggle. I realised it afterwards.

Since you were working, there must have been no financial struggle.

I knew I couldn't ask for money from my family.

So from renting an apartment for Rs 35,000, I moved into Rs 10,000 per month PG (paying guest) accommodation. I stayed with five other girls.

There is no certainty in this profession.

You joined Pankaj Kapur's theatre group.

My first acting workshop was with Pankaj Kapur. He is wonderful, and I learnt a lot from him.

He taught to how to use my body while acting.

How did you get into films?

I gave an audition for Hawaizaada and got it.

I gave a lot of auditions but there were a lot of rejections.

It's still a struggle; it's not that I am getting many opportunities. But I am doing well.

I started directing ads and even a short film.

Then COVID happened.

There was no work for two-and-a-half years.

Then, I got a chance to write the Khalbali Records series.

Are your parents happy now?

I don't think so. My mother has always been happy but my father has been very ambitious.

Maybe he is happy but I've never had that one-to-one chat with him.