The accidental actor

Myra’s striking resemblance to the slain model can stun anyone. Seated at the bar of Novotel’s Gadda Da Vida,as the actress toys with her martini glass she brings back memories of Jessica. The pink of the Cosmopolitan contrasts the black T-shirt that she has teamed with a short denim skirt. There is,however,one noticeable difference she has with her on-screen character. Unlike,the bubbly Jessica,Myra is soft-spoken.

The promos of No One Killed Jessica had everyone looking forward to the performances by leading ladies Rani Mukerji and Vidya Balan. Myra’s role as Jessica Lall — though brief but central to the story — was one of the film’s well-kept secrets. With the film’s release,she took most viewers by surprise. Ever since,there has been speculation galore on her identity. Some claimed her to be half-Indian-half-Brazilian others came up with the story that she was “discovered at a coffee shop” by Gupta. Myra wrinkles up her nose as she recounts these episodes. “I can never understand how actresses can be discovered at coffee shops. None of all that is true. I met Raj through a common friend,” she says.

An engineer by profession,Myra had never aspired to be an actor. Having lived across cities since her father is in the army,she calls herself “a rolling stone”. Mumbai became her home two years ago when she decided to prepare for MBA. A self-proclaimed recluse,she was doing just that when Gupta offered her the role. “I immediately said no. I’m not even a film buff. It took him some amount of convincing to get me to play Jessica,” laughs the debutante as she readjusts her curls.

Though Myra admits to have been comfortable in front of the camera throughout,she does recollect a certain amount of discomfort the day they were shooting the scene of Jessica’s murder. “It drained me; I kept putting myself in Jessica’s shoes and the thought that she was killed over a mere drink was depressing. That it happened in the country’s capital is even more shocking,” she says. “But then how would she have known she’d really be shot. If I were in her place,I’d have refused the boys a drink and stood my ground too.”

Myra keeps toying with her drink. The glass remains mostly full. Looking at it,the actor admits that she rarely drinks,leave alone mixing a drink the way her character does in the film. “In fact,I’m a very private person and you’d never spot me partying at a club,” she says.

Though she is currently in an envious position where most aspiring actors would give anything to be in,Myra has a confession to make: she found the entire process of filmmaking and acting “boring”. “But watching myself on screen was interesting,” she adds. So is a career in films next on agenda? She thinks for a while before answering. “I watch only those movies which are drastically different in concept,such as No One Killed Jessica. If something interesting comes by,I might teach myself to like the profession. Or else,there’s always an MBA waiting.”