Lacking in lustre

Like her mother, Twinkle Khanna also got her first acting offer at the age of 13. But perhaps she knew that a film like Bobby comes once in...

Like her mother, Twinkle Khanna also got her first acting offer at the age of 13. But perhaps she knew that a film like Bobby comes once in a lifetime and in no way could she fill Dimple’s shoes.

Instead, she bided her time, and made her silver screen debut, nearly half a decade later, with Barsaat — the film she was offered as a teenager. Two years later she may have an impressive line-up of films but she still hasn’t shown anyone that she has a modicum of talent. And she is defensive about her so-far less-than illustrious career. "I don’t want to comment on my choice of films because there is no point thinking of these things in retrospect. I thought I knew what I was doing when I signed these films," she says. The public thought otherwise. Jaan is her only hit to date. Barsaat did not live upto its hype, Mr Aashiq with Saif, and Uff Yeh Mohabbat with boyfriend Gattu, went unnoticed.

But the actress insists she has wizened up. "I believe that there’s only one direction to go in — upwards. It takes time to get your bearings in the industry," she says. And as evidence, Twinkle parades her forthcoming films with pride: Dharmesh Darshan’s Mela with Aamir Khan, Abbas-Mustan’s Badshah with Shah Rukh Khan, Jab Pyar Kisi Se Hota Hai with Salman Khan, Zulmi with Akshay Kumar and Agar Tum Na Aate with Akshaye Khanna.

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But despite her outward composure, Twinkle is rattled by her slow start. Comparisons with her star parents doesn’t make it easier. "Why compare me with people who are acknowledged legends? Why not weigh my performance against my contemporaries," she says petulantly. And to stay out of her mother’s shadow, Twinkle has refused to do any films with mother Dimple, despite being flooded with offers. "The only time I approach my parents for help is when I have to turn down an offer," she says. Professional competitiveness apart, Twinkle appears to be a normal twenty-something. "I was spanked at times and hated my parents for those moments. But I was also pampered a lot," she says.

What she didn’t ever dream of, considering she was weaned on films, was being an actress. "I have seen almost all my parents’ films. We didn’t really have a choice. It was like, `Come sit and watch all our movies’," she says. Instead, almost perversely, Twinkle wanted to become a chartered accountant. Now, the only figures she deals with is revealing her own. In her upcoming release, Itihaas, she plays a village belle and her ghaghra-cholis constantly flaunt her midriff and more. But for this role, Twinkle was more than willing to bare all. Directed by hit film-maker Raj Kanwar, she could go down in history as a successful star. And if she fails, Twinkle will be just another starlet, in the news for the wrong reasons. But she is not perturbed. Says Twinkle, "My career has been like the night before Diwali — full of anticipation."