Madame Butterfly

Who is your favourite rockstar?

A rockstar is not just a performer, but a personality. Madonna epitomises a perfect blend of eccentricity and madness. My character, Kria in Zindaggi Rocks, is like her.

What is the USP of the film?

It deals with the personal choices a woman has to make. It8217;s very rare for an actor to get such a complete role. Kria is every woman yet she is someone who every woman wants to be.

Are you a feminist?

I like playing strong characters because I8217;m like that. Playing Basanti in Chingari was the most difficult role because she was so meek. I felt humiliated. Even if a woman is down in the dumps, she8217;ll rise above it. That said, I8217;m not a feminist. Men are fantastic creatures.

Whose idea was it to put Shiney Ahuja in a bathtub?

Laughs So, the point has been noted. That8217;s how my character is in the film. She stumps Shiney throughout. I must say seeing a man in a bathtub is quite refreshing. Also, Shiney Ahuja is that part of the film without whom Kria wouldn8217;t exist.

What8217;s this story of you winning over a cobra on the sets of Zindaggi Rocks?

I8217;m a Shiv bhakt. We were shooting in Madh Island when we saw a pure white cobra. There was no way it could land up in such a concrete location. I bowed down before it and said a small prayer. And five minutes later, it disappeared. I believe that was a darshan of a special kind.

Tell us about Manav Menon, your new boyfriend

Let us not go there. He has asked me not to discuss him.

When is your book hitting the stands?

It8217;s titled Butterfly. It will take a while. But I promise you that it will be a book and a half!

Did you auction your artwork in Dubai?

It went for Rs 25 lakhs. Like writing, painting is also a part of my being that I keep to myself.