Are You Mad About Antara Mali?

‘‘I’ve already done seven movies,’’ says Mali with the air of a practised veteran, ‘‘and one of my first was Urf Professor, for Digital Talkies, where I played an evil person. Not someone who was pushed into doing bad things because of circumstances but because she enjoys being evil. In Road, I’m Laxmi, a girl of today — educated, intelligent, witty, urbane and uninhibited, with my body and my man.’’

Now you could be easily fooled into believing that Mali loves the image of the licentious babe who dares, bares and loves to get laid. But the person sitting across the table in the courtyard of a restaurant in Bandra, Mumbai, surrounded by lipo-sucked starlets, aspiring models and veejays, is a grunge waif, in jeans and T-shirt, sloppy hair, make-upless face and a curious stare.

‘‘I want to experience everything,’’ she says in a shy voice, studiously looking away, ‘‘and if I want something (her goals, she stresses), I go for it.’’ Mali dreamed of being an actress through her teen years, she is the daughter of well-known Bollywood film photographer Jagdish Mali (who shot her portfolio reluctantly), and got her first role after she barged into the screen test of Ashok Pandit’s Dum Dum Diga Diga, which was later shelved. She also did Dhoondte Reh Jaoge, Khiladi 420 and later, Varma picked her for the role of Nisha in Mast. Soon after, she dropped out of college, at the age of 18.

‘‘The trick is not to act but to transform into another person,’’ she says weightily, in complete contrast to her incredibly light frame. “The director only outlines the structure of the character, it is up to the actor to develop the character fully. I enjoy the fact that I can be someone else completely with no resemblance to me.’’

There is a fierce grittiness and a vulnerability at the same time about her capricious fortunes in the tiny space that Bollywood has offered to actors like her — the shifty, tectonic plates wedged between superstardom and B-Grade also-rans. Performers like Mali, who would have once been brushed aside as supporting crew, are now being air-brushed by dogged godfathers who are on a self-serving, self-seeking, vainglorious roll themselves. For instance, it is believed Varma is yet to recover from Bollywood’s applause for the bestowal from his stable — the redesigned Matondkar to item-girl Isha.

‘‘I have always wanted to do something different,’’ Mali pouts defiantly, dismissing the role of a benevolent creator in her career, ‘‘which is why I’ve chosen the roles I have done so far. I wanted to break the stereotype of the heroine. I want my characters to live and survive not by convention but by different rules. I chose my roles accordingly. It just so happens that Ramuji has made three of my films.’’

Mali says she also turned down offers from big banners which came on the heels of Mast because she did not want to be typecast as Nisha. ‘‘I will not say who they were but I was certainly not going to them for the sake of a banner. I must admit the characters of Tanu in Company and Laxmi in Road excited me.’’

Now, Godfather Varma may not be Bollywood royalty, but he certainly put the talent squeeze on Mali when he threw both films on the floors simultaneously. While Mali was madly switching roles in shifts between the suave Laxmi and demure Kanu over the last 12 months, she was certain of one smart fact: that unleashing a brazen, in-your-face, raw sexuality would get her noticed. If Bollywood star-brat Kareena Kapoor led the pack with this new, brand of coquetish arrogance, Mali was not going to be left behind.

‘‘I don’t know if the audience saw it but I had made the introverted Tanu also aware of her sexuality in Company,’’ Mali points out earnestly. ‘‘She may have lacked the sophistication of the urbane Laxmi but Kanu was confident in her love and desire for her man when she walks up to him and says she wants him,’’ she says proudly. ‘‘In fact, I was more comfortable doing Kanu than Laxmi.’’

The reason, according to the actress, is because she is not a gregarious person but is happy with herself. Also, she hates wearing make-up. ‘‘When I accepted Company, I was in a fix because the director was clear how Laxmi would look and I was not happy with make-up and glamour. I’m a misfit in glamorous gatherings. If you see me at parties, you will always find me in a corner with a few people I know.’’

So, what excites the upcoming star if it is not Fendi, Prada or night-clubbing? ‘‘Madness,’’ she says excitedly, ‘‘I am drawn like a magnet to a certain amount of irrationality.’’ She explains herself, ‘‘I am a Cancerian, so I’m a very rational person. I want to feel what it’s like not to rationalise.’’ And without further prodding, Mali launches into psycho-babble about philosophy, life, and behaviour and the interlink between them. After some serious grappling with ‘‘her ideas,’’ she finally concedes, ‘‘I studied psychology. Maybe I will go back to study after a year or two.’’

Right now, she is enjoying the glittering exposure from round-the-clock television promotions and the round of pre-launch parties of Road, which has already travelled to major cities in the country. She is pleased people in the industry and her audience have finally begun to take her a wee bit seriously. ‘‘When I say something, people listen and notice me today. If I say I want to do something different, they are beginning to believe me. I want to build up a credibility factor. I do not want to follow anyone’s footsteps. I am earning a living, it is not enough as yet. It will take some time.’’ For Mali in Bollywood, it is a confusing time out there.