Ketaki Mategaonkar was a 15-year-old teenager when she started shooting for her debut with Sujay Dahake’s Shala (2012). She went on to star in films such as Kaksparsh (2012), Taani (2013), Timepass (2014) and Phuntroo (2016). The singer-actor was then missing from the film scene for over a year.

In an exclusive chat with HT Café, Ketaki shares, “I deliberately took a break as I wanted to complete my graduation. I spent all my energy and time studying and finishing my degree in English Literature. Education holds a very important place in my life and it matters the most to me. Fortunately, my career is going great, so I decided to complete my education first, and now I am back to work.”

Daughter of music director Parag Mategaonkar and singer Suvarna Mategaonkar, Ketaki has been musically inclined from a very young age. “While films took a back seat in the past one year, I continued recording songs and was active in the music industry. Recently, my duet ‘Aal aabahal’ (Chhand Priticha) with singer Javed Ali was released, and there are a few more songs which will be releasing soon. I am also working on my music album and learning western music. I am appearing for advanced level exams at the Trinity College of Music, London.”

Ketaki’s fans will also get to see her in more films in 2018. “I was consciously saying no to scripts over the past year because I wanted to do something different. In the past six years, I have always played different characters. I am now reading a lot of scripts and have many offers too. So, 2018 is when I am going to surprise the audience with many projects.”

The 23-year-old believes she has been fortunate that her dreams have turned into reality. “This is just the beginning and I have a really long way to go. I was literally a kid when I started out and the journey has been amazing so far. I am looking forward to an equally exciting journey ahead,” says Ketaki.