On a new track

Khwaishein Aisi,will now be part of his Dhruv,starring Farhan Akhtar and Kareena Kapoor. Chitrangada is expected to pull out all the stops and portray a wheeler-dealer on stilettos with not much else on. “My part can be best described as that of an escort and power-broker,a femme fatale of politics and the underworld. It’s a very seductive and provocative role,” she says.

Sitting in a studio where she is getting a photo-shoot done,the actor who bears a striking resemblance to the late Smita Patil appears cool and calm against a background of lights,camera and loud music. Mention the comparison and she laughs. “The first time someone pointed it out was to my mother when I was in Class IX. But she did not tell me about it because she thought I would become swollen-headed. Comparisons like these make me nervous as they raise the bar for me,even though I am only three films old.”

But the 29-year-old Chitrangada is slowly getting there.

She is going through several scripts and is on the verge of signing two more films. Today she is more flexible about her stance of doing only off-beat films and is open to doing a bit of the masala stuff too. “I know it would be a case of extreme sensibilities,but as an actor,it would be challenging to try all kinds of roles. But I have to like my roles,” she says firmly.

As for having turned down Aamir Khan’s home production Delhi Belly,the actor just shakes her head and laughs. “I only had a meeting with Abhinav Deo where we discussed the film,but nothing came of it. It had not reached the point of a working relationship,” she says. What does her husband,India’s top-ranking golfer,Jyoti Randhawa,have to say to her returning to films with Sorry Bhai?

“Jyoti had nothing to do with my decisions. He loves my financial independence when I work. Otherwise,he thinks being an actor is nothing great.

He says that I cry and scream on screen like the way I do in real life,so what’s the big deal? Jyoti’s very involved with sports and his connection with Bollywood begins and ends with Amitabh Bachchan,” she laughs.

Like her sportsman husband,the slender,fine-boned actor leads a disciplined life when at home in Delhi.

“Both of us have an army background and have led disciplined lives. Even now,I get up very early when in Delhi and there is hardly any partying. Mumbai,on the other hand, is so high on creativity and very exciting. I think living both in Mumbai and Delhi is pretty balancing for me,” says Chitrangada,who has just bought a house in Mumbai to spend more time in Tinseltown.