Actors are like babies

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You8217;re finally taking some time off.
Hello, who told you that? I haven8217;t taken a break. The reason I8217;m not shooting is because two of my immediate assignments, Babul and Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna are with Amitji Amitabh Bachchan. Once he resumes work, I8217;ll be back to the grind. But in the meantime, I8217;m not sitting idle. I8217;m busy with my meetings and social engagements. These things are more mentally taxing.

Events like attending Aamir Khan8217;s wedding?
That was lovely. I can8217;t really talk about it since it8217;s not my place to do so. But I must say that Aamir is very happy and that makes me happy.

Now that the awards season is upon us, what are your expectations for Black?
Well, Black has been nominated for a lot of categories in the Screen Awards. I8217;m cheering for my film and keeping my fingers crossed. Yeah, I feel all the nominations are rightly deserved.

Do you ever wonder 8216;after Black, what8217;?
Every actor comes across a role that he or she feels is the best. But you can8217;t rest on laurels. Maybe I8217;ll get another role of a lifetime. Maybe Sanjay Leela Bhansali himself will give me another great role. That said, I know that I8217;ll never come across another role like Black.

Did you surprise yourself in Black?
Honestly, I did. I didn8217;t think I could do a role like that. But then I don8217;t think any actor really knows what he or she8217;s doing while shooting. Actors are like babies. After every shot, they look to the director for approval. At least I always do that.

Are you a part of Sanjay8217;s next?
Yes. Sanjay is very, very special, and I8217;m honoured that he considered me again. But you won8217;t get any details from me until he talks.

Who did you fight with on the sets of Karan Johar8217;s Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna?
Nobody. Karan is such an affable guy that there can never be any animosity on his sets. I8217;m really upset these stories are circulating. Now, when we should be supporting him even more, since this is his first film after the demise of his father Yash Johar, everyone is making his life more difficult.

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What8217;s your equation with Preity Zinta?
Preity and I are fantastic together. She8217;s a great co-star and I enjoy working with her. All these stories about problems between us are lies. Are we kids, or what? But she8217;s been signed for Shaad Ali8217;s next even though you8217;ve given him hits like Saathiya and Bunty aur Babli. I don8217;t know why everybody wants to know what we are doing next. Just be patient and you8217;ll all know.

But are you doing Siddharth Anand8217;s next after Salaam Namaste?
I would love to do his film because he worked with me as an assistant in Hum Tum, and he8217;s a really fun guy. But it8217;s too early to comment on anything.

What are your feelings about Paheli8217;s chances at the Oscars?
We weren8217;t conscious of this when we were making Paheli. I don8217;t know what is the criteria for a movie8217;s selection at the Oscars. As a part of the film and a citizen of the country, I8217;m hoping it wins. I8217;m also very happy that four of my movies8212;Black, Mangal Pandey: The Rising, Veer-Zaara and Paheli8212;were considered.

Three things you8217;re looking forward to in the new year?
Finishing off Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna and Babul in style, signing some great new projects and something very personal in my real life.

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What8217;s that?
Well, I8217;m going to be an aunt. My brother Raja and bhabhi Jyoti are going to be parents, so I8217;m really excited.

What about a boyfriend?
That8217;s a great idea. But I8217;m not looking for someone right now. That space is empty and hope it8217;s filled soon. Maybe in years to come, if not this year.