After finishing the last schedule of Broken Frame, author turned filmmaker Ram Kamal Mukherjee finished the last schedule of his forthcoming Hindi feature film Shubho Bijoya. In the last schedule he introduced former Mrs. Universe Khusboo Karva as sutradhar (narrator) in the film. The film stars Gurmeet Choudhury and Debina Bonnerjee in the lead, and has been shot in Mumbai pre-pandemic second wave. The post production work of the film is going on full swing. Taking a break from the post production studio, director Ram Kamal Mukherjee says, “I was looking for a face that would have pathos and connect emotionally with our lead protagonist in the film. Gurmeet plays the role of a visually challenged person who narrates his story in a coffee shop to Khushboo, and we see the film through her eyes.”
Produced by Aritra Das, Sarbani Mukherjee and Gaurav Daga, the film is a sweet love story, that will leave an after thought like any O Henry short stories. “I got a call from Ram Kamal dada’s office for an audition and he asked me to deliver an impromptu scene. I was very nervous, and I thought that I would not be selected. But after a week I got a confirmation call from the production house that I have been selected. That was the most exciting moment in my life,” says Khushboo Karva, who became fourth runners up at Mrs Universe in 2018 in the Philippines. “I have faced a global platform as a model but facing a camera and enacting a character was a different challenge,” she added. The film has music by 9emotions Media (Dhrubo-Siddharth) and has been shot in Mumbai and Maldives by cinematographer Modhura Palit.
Resilient, dynamic, and a force to reckon with, Khushboo Karva is admired by many for her poise optimism and grit. She represented India at the Mrs Universe 2018 pageant held at the Philippines. She won the juries and her co-participants hearts with her poise. She stood out as a contestant and was appreciated for her exceptional work towards the betterment of women in her hometown Pune. She stood out because she was the mother of two kids and still managed to reach the global platform.
Khushboo has been an ardent fan of Gurmeet and Debina as on-screen couples. “I was wondering if they would be easy to work with, because I am a newcomer and they have been working for many years. But I must thank Gurmeet (she has maximum scenes with him) for being a great co-actor, and helping me in enhancing my scenes. Debina is a great human being, she had some issue with her voice due to the cold. In spite of that she was sweet enough to give queues in my scenes also,” shares Khushboo.
Since everyone is talking about how difficult it is to break through the tough wall of Bollywood which survives on groups and nepotism, was it easy for her to bag the first break? “Frankly speaking I have been cheated earlier, and this industry is full of opportunists. But if you are intelligent and smart then you can make your dream come true. I always wanted to act in films. But I was not getting the right break. I had faith in my talent and destiny. And now with OTT platforms I think new talents are getting more scopes,” she explains.
Currently, Khushboo works with a Pune-based company and a leading global Smart Digital Water Resources Management company, but at the same time she is keen on working in films. “I am getting offers for web series and Marathi films. I am open to all sorts of work, provided I get a good character to play. I am waiting eagerly for the release,” she says.
A working woman, winner of a beauty pageant, mother of two kids, wife and dutiful daughter and now an actress, Khushboo seems to be the ideal example of a true multitasking woman of our country. “Age is just a number, you can always chase your dream from wherever you left it,” smiles Khushboo.
