Jyotii Sethi never wanted to be an actress

Jyotii Sethi is the latest addition to the list of actresses from Punjab in Tollywood such as Simran Kaur Mundi and Sruthi Sodhi. "I never wanted to be an actress. After I finished my Master's in English, I had decided to become a lecturer. Somebody told me that I look good and I should consider getting into films.

I posted some pictures from a photo-shoot on my Facebook page, and the offers started pouring in," she said. Realising that her prospects would be limited if she stayed in Punjab, Jyotii shifted base to Mumbai.

"I've already worked in a Punjabi film, but it's yet to release. Two years ago, I was called for an audition in the South. Things didn't work the first time. Two years later, I was called again and this time I landed the opportunity to work in 'Where is Vidya Balan'," she said.

Her journey so far hasn't been as smooth as she expected it to be. "When I was preparing to get into the industry, I wasn't aware of the struggle and various things that could affect someone's career," she said.

"Just when I was starting to think everything was going so smoothly, my first Punjabi film was shelved due to some financial problems. These initial hiccups bothered me, but I realised there was no going back," she added. Jyotii has already signed another Telugu project, details of which she chose not to reveal.