‘Now I sign movies for different reasons, but solid ones’

“Some films can be entertaining, but they don’t have anything to say. Some say a lot and end up being boring. The ideal choice is to combine the two; the way Rajkumar Hirani does, making the audience laugh and cry. To a great extent, I found this combination in this script,” says Chawla about Chalk N Duster, which will release on January 15. According to the actor, it is a film that looks at teachers beyond the classroom and the lives they lead while touching upon the present maladies of the education system.

A popular and sought-after actor of the late ’80s and ’90s, Chawla today opts for projects she finds convincing. “Earlier, I used to go with the flow and take up anything that came with a big banner. Today, I do what makes sense to me, interests and engages me. I do these films with a certain enthusiasm,” says the 48-year-old actor. Seated in her sprawling living room in Mumbai’s Malabar Hill, the actor relishes a glass of chaas as she speaks with her trademark candour and effervescence. “A film like Son of Sardar was fun and game while Gulab Gang was a challenge. The latter had depth and drama. Now, I sign movies for different reasons but solid ones,” she adds.

The ’90s, however, were a different ball game. “I remember hearing only two ready scripts — Aaina (1993) and Darr (1993). Only in this century people have started binding their thoughts and ideas into a structure,” she says. Famous for her comic timing and vivaciousness on screen, Chawla started experimenting with her roles over a decade ago. Though non-mainstream movies such as 3 Deewarein (2003), My Brother Nikhil (2005) and I Am Afia Megha Abhimanyu Omar (2010) added a new dimension to the actor’s image, Chawla had to almost reinvent herself. “3 Deewarein broke my mould and became a great learning experience for me,” she says.

After she shot to fame with Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak (1988), doing regular Bollywood roles with proper make-up, big hair and costumes became de rigueur. “It was almost a shock to my system to do a Jhankar Beats (2003) or a 3 Deewarein where they would ask me to shun make-up. I would still do some cheating. In front of the whole unit, the cameraman would look through his camera and say: ‘Sorry, it’s showing. Please take off your lipstick,” recounts Chawla. Apart from getting used to no make-up look, she had to get comfortable wearing normal clothes and stop “acting”. Chawala says, “They would tell me not to act. I used to wonder what do they mean? While the whole experience was very refreshing, I had to tell myself to relax a bit.”

Looking back, she finds it incredulous that she has done so much work; nearly 90 movies barring the special appearances. “The other day, I came across Deewana Mastana (1997) on television. I could not believe that it all happened. There were highs and lows when things moved slowly. I also had children and took breaks,” says the actor. Like any other artiste she, too, had bouts of self-doubt. She was wary of getting it right when she returned on the sets for 7 1/2 Phere (2005), ending her year-long break that she had taken when her son Arjun was born.

Working at her pace and taking up the projects she believes in have given Chawla the confidence and keenness to develop her roles. “Earlier, I followed what the directors wanted me to do. It is only later that I started improvising my performances,” she says. Once the activities around Chalk N Duster’s release are wrapped up, she plans to follow the routine of her classical music riyaaz, along with yoga and her social work. However, she will soon be taking time off for a reality television show, her third stint on the small screen.