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Journalism of Courage
For Mini Mathur freedom of expression translates into talk, talk, talk, says Meeta Bhatti
"Oh! I love Bombay. I love the food, the sea and the sea of people around me. All the basics are here. Above all I have the freedom of expression — no one to tell me, `Hey, Mini you are moving out of the frame and the character’s framework.’ I am finally myself. By the way I am from Delhi. Are you from here?"
"Sorry. It’s just that I love talking."
From a family of mathematically-inclined people (read Chartered Accountants), Mini was also very scholastic. After facing the usual problems with Hindi and Sanskrit when she came back to India after six years in Africa, she studied like a maniac for medicine. "And then my Dad told me that he didn’t want to see me in aprofession where I didn’t belong. So I took up English Literature in Lady Sriram College," she prattles.
"I have never chalked my career path." Everything just happened, with all the opportunities coming knocking at her door — as did a stint with advertising, her second love after medicine. "I worked for some time with Pepsi and HTA." And somewhere in between grabbed a degree in management.
"Yes. One of those hectic days, I was grouchy by the end of it. The creative director came to me asking if I could dummy shoot for an ad — they wanted me as dishevelled a person. `No probs,’ I said. Luckily, they wanted to do the final shoot also with me." That was Ray Ban, her first ad.
"I asked HTA for a six-month break and they promised to take me back after that."
By that time she was onTol Mol ke Bol. "Then came a beauty show Khubsoorat, a film show, a travel show with Anu Malhotra called Indian Holiday — not in a chronological order though." And she had her hands full.
"I live for acting. It’s my passion."
"The modelling world has been fictionalised in this serial. That’s not what actually happens in the industry. And this is one serial where I don’t relate to the character — the reason why I agreed to play the role."
"True. For two reasons. One because I don’t relate to Canny’s insecurities. You know even if you are playing a mad dog you can play it if you know what the mad dog is thinking. I don’t know if you understand. And the otheris that after being selected as one of the 12 new MTV veejays, it’s veejaying that’s my priority."
"In fact, I didn’t know she was. Organisers asked me if I wanted to go ahead, and I did, hoping she had a sense of humour. Not only was Simi amused, she also wanted to talk to me after the show. But I couldn’t face her and just ran off."
"For now I am happy with new lease of life. Here my personality will be used to create programmes and not vice versa."
"Oh! I bond with everyone from the city. Even Cyrus Sahukar (another new veejay) — we chat for hours talking about Delhi. And I spend Rs 15,000 every month on my mobile talking to my mother and cooing my dog."
That’s not a problem either. Mini freaks out on travelling and wants to be ascubadiving instructor one day. That is if she can stop talking long enough to fit the oxygen mask over her face! The lady leaves you breathless with her words.
