Face Off/Rajeshwari Sachdev

And since everyone else had the audacity to go in to an album-cutting frenzy, she too decided to take the plunge?

quot;I know I8217;m not a great singer 8212; I cannot ever become a Lata Mangeshkar or Asha Bhonsle. But I8217;ve tried my very best to bring something special to each song and give it an individual character like I8217;d do while acting.quot;

Okay but why Punjabi folk?

The most obvious reason: she belongs to that region. quot;I8217;ve been singing Hulle Hulla Re8216; since childhood. The only difference is we got the lyrics changed to give it a strong storyline. Similarly, Aaja re aaja8216; is based on the challa while all the other songs are seeped in Punjabi folk.quot;

Admit it, she did get egged on by the 957-oddBhangra-pop-folk albums that have hit the market?

Yes. But she approached it quot;differentlyquot;. quot;I felt I had a greater responsibility because I8217;d already acquired a certain reputation as an actress. But I also believe it8217;s best not to limit oneself 8212; there8217;s nothing like cannot8217;.quot;

That8217;s she8217;s amply proved, isn8217;t it?

True, true. From delivering a powerhouse performance in Benegal8217;s Suraj Ka Satwan Ghoda to winning the National Award for best supporting actress for Sardari Begum to acting in Bernardo Bertolucci8217;s Little Buddha 8212; she8217;s done it all. In fact, Rajeshwari picked up the Maharashtra State best actress award with her very first film, Aytya Gharat Gharoba. quot;When you work with good directors, they never tell you what to do 8212; they let you bloom on your own and are always ready to answer questions. That helps you grow.quot;

And walk away with National Awards8230;

Actually everyone thought this delicate, fragile-looking actress would bag the prizewith Suraj8230; but that was not to be. quot;When I actually got a call in the middle of the night saying I8217;d won for Sardari Begum, I didn8217;t believe it.quot;

What about commercial films?

First, there8217;s no such thing as commercial and non-commercial cinema. quot;Anything that makes money is commercial, which most of my films have done. Like Sardari Begum and Suraj8230;quot;

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Strangely enough, her first ever masala release, English Babu Desi Mem, lost money. The fact that she got to work with Shah Rukh Khan doesn8217;t stop Rajeshwari from dismissing it as a bad dream.

quot;It was the worst script of the century. So dumb, that I would have been very surprised if it had done well.quot;

Does she have a thing against mainstream masala movies?

Not at all. quot;Even a masala film that8217;s totally illogical but made with conviction, works 8212; like Aankhen. But not something like Major Saab where all Amitabh Bachchan needs to do is blow awhistle to summon the guards at the NDA, and yet he unnecessarily resorts to jumping walls all the time.quot;

What next?

There8217;s Benegal8217;s Samar that8217;s ready for release. quot;It8217;s a film about the dalit problem. We shot for a straight 24 days in a remote village in Madhya Pradesh, and such was the camaraderie amongst us 8212; Rajit Kapoor, Seema Biswas, Kishore Kadam and Raghuvir Yadav 8212; that none of us wanted to come back.quot; And then she has Jagmohan Mundhra8217;s Perfumed Garden.

Wait a minute, Jag Mundhra, did you say?

quot;Yes, I knew you8217;d say that, and frankly I was also apprehensive at the outset, though I hadn8217;t seen any of his films. It was just his reputation. But he assured me that there wouldn8217;t be any unnecessary exposure.quot;

And she took his word for it?

Kind of. quot;I went to Mr Benegal for a second opinion. And he told me to trust the man and said I8217;d enjoy working with him.quot;

And later she can say that a body double was used for the rain-drenchedscenes?

quot;Look, I8217;m not here to prove anything to anyone. I just do my work, go home and sleep.quot; Even if that means closing one8217;s eyes to the realities of a Mundhra chick flick.