A thinking Barbie

In real life though, the biggest shock is that Urmila is really pocket-sized. But other than that, there is not much difference. The streaked Barbie mane is in place comme toujour, framing her big eyes and small pouty mouth the entire picture is of a little lost girl, a look that the camera seems to love. She is wearing some sort of go-to-hell water-blue pants, extremely tight at the waist and floppy at the ankles with a fitting white T-shirt. Again, just like she does in the movies. But the rest of her petite form reveals that she needs ample padding to enhance her curves on the big screen.

But the difference in demeanour and decollete is deliberate. Urmila insists that her own reality doesn8217;t mingle with her screen persona. For instance, dismissed as a dumb doll, people are now waking up to the fact that this tiny lass packs a powerful punch. quot;I can8217;t expect people who know me only from the movies to assume the best of me or know the real me. So how can it bother me,quot; she says, in a neutral tone.

But perceptions must have done a double take, post-Rangeela? From a C-grade heroine with five almost invisible films to the top rung with just one film, how does she cope with instant stardom? quot;I had done films before Rangeela, so the attention and the glamour is not new to me,quot; she says with an impatient twinge, tired of reminding you that she was an actress long before.

As far as the extra attention goes, Urmila is still child enough to enjoy every moment of it. quot;Some of the letters I receive are so cute. This guy sent me a picture of him standing against a wall which was covered with my photographs. And when I go to my friend8217;s place, I check out the e-mail for the messages I get from all over,quot; she laughs.

A computer-literate heroine? quot;No, not yet. But I am going to buy my own machine soon,quot; she smiles. But the twinkle disappears at the mention of Ram Gopal Verma8217;s name. She is alert but silent when questioned about the director who took the pert archness of Masoom and developed it into a sizzle that took separate shooting schedules. With Daud he has created the same luscious look. But rumours are rife about trouble in paradise. quot;Let8217;s leave that for yellow journalism, shall we,quot; says she, quietly but with an air of finality.

The conversation moves to Urmila8217;s other passion: reading. An arts student, she has been through the classics. quot;For one year, I think I was living in Victorian England or Russia during the time of the Revolution. I get totally immersed in a book. Nowadays, I am reading American trash. I8217;ve had enough of the serious stuff,quot; she says, without a pause in breath. She loves to talk, so long as it is about what she wants to reveal.

She hurtles on to talk about another passion: travel. Taking off at breakneck speed, lest you interrupt, she says, quot;I love seeing travelling and I have the perfect job for that as I get to go everywhere. I am going to London, then Italy and then somewhere else.quot;

Coming to her work, she is what she always wanted to be, a Hindi film actor. quot;Ya, the formula and the shortcomings get to you, but I think we8217;re making better movies now. I don8217;t think I8217;ll ever want to quit, quot; she says. Urmila doesn8217;t slot herself either as a director8217;s actor or a method actor, quot;It8217;s instinctive with me, though it is always a treat to have a good director,quot; says she. She is working on a couple of movies right now, not more, because she wants to enjoy her work. And though she is not too optimistic about two releases coming up, which she signed before Rangeela, she won8217;t name them, just like she won8217;t list her favourite directors.

But Urmila really seems to believe that her face is her fortune. And she uses the cute giggly prattle to hide a shrewd- enough mind. While she may not be Mensa material, she is clever enough not to flow against the tide in this industry. And that alone is her biggest success.