Manasi turns to acting to save music?

Singer-composer Manasi Scott seems to have picked up the tricks of the trade,albeit little late. To save her fledgling singing career,she has has now decided to attract some attention through acting and will make her debut in Abbas Tyrewala’s Jhootha Hi Sahi,which releases this Friday. “I have a desire for visibility and my acting stint in Bollywood should rustle up enough momentum to promote my music videos. I have been overwhelmed by a sea of mediocrity around me,” says Scott,speaking from London,where she performed at a concert over the weekend with composer duo Salim-Sulaiman.

Back in India,the film is being termed as a rip-off of television sitcom Friends. The tale revolves around Sid (John Abraham),a geeky character who becomes a pleasant victim of mistaken identity over a phone call made by female caller Mishka,played by newcomer Pakhi. Through a series of unplanned events that transpire between them,he falls in love with the girl. Manasi plays the role of an air hostess,who is John’s headstrong and bossy girlfriend. The movie stars an ensemble cast of Raghu Ram,Anaitha Nair,R Madhavan and Nandana Sen.

“ Acting provided great exposure. I have been doing amateur theatre since the age of 12,but it doesn’t measure up to the experience of acting in films,” says Scott,who shot for the movie in London for two months. The role apparently was given to her after seven auditions. The old friendship with Abbas Tyrewala worked in her favour,but Scott who has previously sung a track for Acid Factory (2009),feels that she could have bargained for a lot more on this project,by way of singing a few songs. “Perhaps the producers were too occupied with their schedule to accommodate my request,” she quips. For now,she is “just waiting to see how the audience respond to the film and the acting”. Music,however,will always remain her prime concern.