Flower CHILD

It’s been four years since you shifted to Mumbai. How do you find the city?
I am still figuring it out. When I set foot in the city for the first time,I was deeply disappointed. All I could see were rows of buildings and a jumble of markets. The buildings looked ugly and they were not well-maintained. Back home in Himachal Pradesh,there are small houses with lot of spaces,which look beautiful. Over there people know and greet each other. Here you don’t know who is staying next door. Also,everyone in Mumbai looks the same! Another thing that disturbs me is the endless poverty in the city. The other day,I saw around 200 clothes hung outside Fame Adlabs. People don’t have a nice place to even dry clothes.
You make a small paradise for youself in your house and when you come out in your BMW and see a child standing in 35-degree temperature with books,pleading you to buy them,it affects you. Back home,nobody is very rich or very poor. They have enough land to grow their wheat and live. That’s probably the reason I keep going back to my hometown often.

What kind of a place is the film industry?
Filmmaking is a crazy concept. It is a serious business,and what you sell is creativity and art. That itself is contradictory. Actors live crazy lives,which is evident from their choices of love and family. It’s a place where actors are forced to become businessmen and producers are forced to become creative people. One needs to be very balanced to survive in this industry.

Is that why you have taken up yoga?
I am doing yoga four times a week. It keeps me calm and grounded.

What does a film like Once Upon A Time In Mumbaai signify in your career?
Well,it’s my first period film and I wanted to be a part of it. Besides,I liked the script and Milan (Luthria) is a good director. It fit the bill and here I am. Also,I want to be a part of good films which are hits and of course,make money.

How do you know the film will be a hit?
You always know it. If the script works for you,it’s good. You never do a film thinking issko chalna to hai nahin par karke dekhte hai. When you are convinced about the film,you put your heart and soul in it. It’s a different thing that sometimes the film doesn’t work. Your judgement may have been right but at times people who are involved in making it lose interest in it.

Tell us about your role in Once Upon…?
I play this ’70s actress called Rehana who is looking for love. When she finds it,her world revolves arounds him. If Ajay Devgn is the positive force and Imy (Emraan Hashmi) the negative,I am the romantic force of the film.

You seem to have worked hard on your look for the film.
Most of the research for the role had already been done by the director,I just had to follow his instructions. Still,I worked on the style and the make-up. The fabrics,the fashion,everything was different in that era. I think in the ’70s,women were more feminine and their bodies were more curvy. The whole style of high-waist pencil pants,flared trousers,polka dots and scarves was interesting and the hairdos were nice,be it the flip-out curls or short hair. Not to mention the bouffants. Rehana though,is more like Zeenat Aman and Parveen Babi. I haven’t adapted their hairstyle or looks but their personalities. When girls used to go in ghunghats for the premieres,these two divas changed the whole style of dressing with their torn jeans and low-neck gowns. They were the wild children of the industry with their lifestyles and live-in relationships.

Even you have been unconventional in your choice of roles as compared to a typical Bollywood heroine,starting with Gangster,which was dark.
As an actor,my concern is not about the role being either dark or conventional. As I said,I want to do a film that works than for my own happiness. What is the point of playing a school teacher because I want to and nobody watches the film.

So,which character that you have done so far is the closest to you?
None. I stay detached from my characters. I am also not the kind to sit and watch my DVDs because once the film is done,I leave my characters behind.

Most of the roles that you have done have had a neurotic edge. Don’t you get affected by that?
You can’t remain unaffected. Anything you do affects you. We give a lot to our characters and can’t remain detached while doing it. I guess that happens with every profession. As a journalist too,at the end of the day,I am sure you must be feeling that you have given a lot to the job.

Yes,but aren’t these roles tougher than the normal ones?
No,I think every role is tough,even when you are doing a comedy or a simple role. Yes,sometimes it is very draining and sometimes it is not. But what looks easy to people is tough to do and vice-versa. Creativity is such a thing. When people are watching the film,they are not aware of what goes into making a scene like background music,camera angle,lighting,the screenplay that is working on the actor’s minds etc. In a scene that looks intense or terrifying,actors may be just standing still,and at least 100 people must have worked on that particular shot. But the audience thinks that the actor is great. What I mean to say is,I can never make you understand what is draining and what is not for an actor.

How do you look at the phase when you were involved with Adhyayan Suman?
I don’t remember that period at all.

So,are you dating anybody right now?
No,I am single. I am over the phase of dating. I am bored of men. Guys of my age are immature,irresponsible and most of the men who are in their 30s are married. I don’t want to get into a relationship with a married man. Besides,I think there are more issues than just hanging out with guys. I am not the kind who will feel attracted to someone just because he is young and good-looking.

What are you looking for in a guy?
I want somebody intense,intellectual,ambitious and humble or at least from a humble background like me.

With which actors do you want to work?
All the actors I have grown up watching,like Salman Khan,Shah Rukh Khan,Aamir Khan and Ajay Devgn with whom I have worked in Once Upon… You know when I meet them I go into a trance. I remember watching films like Dil,Darr and Ishq in Manali and when I hear their voices now,it’s like an echo from the past.

How was the experience of working with Ajay Devgn?
As I said,I have been watching his films and I have always felt that he is an intense and a great actor. He doesn’t try too hard as he is secure in his place. It is just good to react to his intense performance. He is a very introverted kind of person in real life.

After starting out as the lead heroine,you have now done many multi-starrers.
Yeah,that’s because I want to try out new genres like thrillers and comedies. When you do films like Gangster and Woh Lamhe… the whole pressure is on you and you get stressed. In a multi-starrer,many people are carrying the whole responsiblity. You also learn a lot of things from them. Having said that,I am in talks for an intense solo heroine film sans a hero.

You also have two comedies No Problem and Tanu Weds Manu coming up.
Aneezji (Bazmee) is the king of comedy and I have seen all his films including Welcome,Singh Is Kinng and No Entry. However,the film I liked best was Pyaar To Hona Hi Tha. So,when I was offered No Problem,I agreed immediately. I play Sushmita’s (Sen) younger sister who owns a shack on a beach and serves drinks and cocktails. It’s a sweet and new character. I wouldn’t call Manu Weds Tanu (she insists on calling it that) a comedy. It is a simple,humorous film.

What about Knockout?
It’s a thriller. I am playing a journalist in the film but it is not modelled on anybody. It’s a stylishly shot interesting film. There is this wardat (incident) happening and my character just reports it. I am sporting a formal look,with a jacket,a skirt,specs and ponytail. It’s about an incident that happens one morning,which is why I will be wearing only one costume. Many journos told me that a crime reporter doesn’t dress like that. But personally,I don’t like people who dress up shabbily,wear torn jeans and don’t make their hair. Dressing is an individual thing and frankly,even as an actress I don’t dress like other Bollywood girls. So there!

What kind of films do you like to watch?
I like to watch films that have some kind of humour like Chashme Buddoor. I like it for its simplicity and humour.

There is talk that Chashme Buddoor will be remade. Would you like to be a part of it?
Of course.