Pearl Puri Turns To Music: TV star crafts indie album; calls Jaipur his lucky charm
Actor Pearl V Puri , who has done shows like Rangrasiya, Bepanah Pyaar and Naagin 3 , has been away from the limelight for a while. Has he been on a sabbatical? “Not at all, sabbatical mein log Maldives jaate hain. Main studio mein baitha tha 4am tak, ek hi line ko 47 baar gaate hue. I am working on a music album independently—writing, composing, producing, and planning seven music videos. It’s full-time job, part-time obsession, and overtime madness, all combined together,” he says. Elaborating on foraying into music, he adds, “It was a deliberate decision. I didn’t want to do a film just to stay visible. I’ve been a part of that race on TV but now, I want to do work that I’ll be proud of 10 years from now. I’ve also signed a film. So, the wait has been worth it.”
'Naagin 3 completely changed my life'
Talking about how “Naagin 3 changed my life completely”, he shares, “The love I got as Mahir was immense. Aaj bhi log mujhe Mahir bula lete hain! The show taught me discipline. TV is a battlefield where you have to work for 12-14 hours daily. Agar rona hai toh abhi rona hai. You can’t say, ‘Sir, mood nahi hai.’ It made me an actor who can deliver an emotional breakdown between two bites of a sandwich—a skill I mastered while working on television. But the biggest gift Naagin gave me was my extended family. The fans who found me through that show are still supporting my projects."
'Films taught me to slow down'
After a successful career on TV, Pearl tried his luck in Bollywood and music videos too. However, he says, "Television is my gurukul—it made me what I am today. Music videos taught me to romance a camera and a song at the same time. Films gave me time to actually live a character instead of speedrunning it. But music seems like home. Because in music, it’s my words, my composition, my voice.”
Pearl, whose last major acting project was the Hindi movie Yaariyan 2 (2023), calls the experience “humbling and exciting”. He adds, “It was like your first day at the gym. You think you’re fit, then Bollywood hands you the heaviest dumbbell and says, ‘Beta, yeh warm-up hai.’ Coming from TV, where everything moves at rocket speed, films taught me to slow down and go deeper into a character. And honestly, I’ve stopped calling it ‘trying my luck.’ Luck is for lottery tickets. I call it earning my place, one honest performance at a time.”
‘Jaipur has a royal soul’
Puri, who was in Jaipur recently, made the most of his short visit. He says, “The most special part was visiting Khatu Shyam ji’s mandir; it was a divine experience. I also visited the famous Tarkeshwar Mahadev Temple at 1am! Although I am a diehard Bholenath bhakt and it’s Shravan, 1am ko mandir kaun jaata hai? In Mumbai, people look for vada pav at that hour. But it was the best darshan of my life.” He adds, “Also, I feel Jaipur is like Disneyland for vegetarians. I relished eating dal baati churma, pyaaz kachori and ghewar.” Talking about why he loves Jaipur, he says, “Jaipur has always been lucky for me. I promoted Yaariyan 2 and many of my shows here. Also, one of the reels I shot here received 58 million views! Ab batao, pyaar kaise na ho? And the tehzeeb—Jaipur has a royal soul but zero attitude. Everyone says ‘Padharo sa’ and they actually mean it. In Mumbai, if someone says, “Aao kabhi ghar pe,” it sounds like a threat. In Jaipur, it’s an invitation.”
'Naagin 3 completely changed my life'
Talking about how “Naagin 3 changed my life completely”, he shares, “The love I got as Mahir was immense. Aaj bhi log mujhe Mahir bula lete hain! The show taught me discipline. TV is a battlefield where you have to work for 12-14 hours daily. Agar rona hai toh abhi rona hai. You can’t say, ‘Sir, mood nahi hai.’ It made me an actor who can deliver an emotional breakdown between two bites of a sandwich—a skill I mastered while working on television. But the biggest gift Naagin gave me was my extended family. The fans who found me through that show are still supporting my projects."
'Films taught me to slow down'
After a successful career on TV, Pearl tried his luck in Bollywood and music videos too. However, he says, "Television is my gurukul—it made me what I am today. Music videos taught me to romance a camera and a song at the same time. Films gave me time to actually live a character instead of speedrunning it. But music seems like home. Because in music, it’s my words, my composition, my voice.”
Pearl, whose last major acting project was the Hindi movie Yaariyan 2 (2023), calls the experience “humbling and exciting”. He adds, “It was like your first day at the gym. You think you’re fit, then Bollywood hands you the heaviest dumbbell and says, ‘Beta, yeh warm-up hai.’ Coming from TV, where everything moves at rocket speed, films taught me to slow down and go deeper into a character. And honestly, I’ve stopped calling it ‘trying my luck.’ Luck is for lottery tickets. I call it earning my place, one honest performance at a time.”
‘Jaipur has a royal soul’
Puri, who was in Jaipur recently, made the most of his short visit. He says, “The most special part was visiting Khatu Shyam ji’s mandir; it was a divine experience. I also visited the famous Tarkeshwar Mahadev Temple at 1am! Although I am a diehard Bholenath bhakt and it’s Shravan, 1am ko mandir kaun jaata hai? In Mumbai, people look for vada pav at that hour. But it was the best darshan of my life.” He adds, “Also, I feel Jaipur is like Disneyland for vegetarians. I relished eating dal baati churma, pyaaz kachori and ghewar.” Talking about why he loves Jaipur, he says, “Jaipur has always been lucky for me. I promoted Yaariyan 2 and many of my shows here. Also, one of the reels I shot here received 58 million views! Ab batao, pyaar kaise na ho? And the tehzeeb—Jaipur has a royal soul but zero attitude. Everyone says ‘Padharo sa’ and they actually mean it. In Mumbai, if someone says, “Aao kabhi ghar pe,” it sounds like a threat. In Jaipur, it’s an invitation.”
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