Roll out the carpets…

You seem very confident of yourself…

I am! I’ve always been confident — even when I was younger, when I was in school… I always had a lot of faith in myself. Most of my friends call me conceited, but now they are accustomed to that side of me. The film industry and the media haven’t gotten to know me yet, but soon they will also know that I’m a little conceited.

And does your confidence always pay off?

I’d say most of the time my instincts have been right.

You’re no newcomer to media attention. But how does it feel to be making waves on your own merit?

First of all, it feels good that I’m carrying on the family tradition. I’m happy that people now recognise me for myself, and not because of whose sister I am, or whose daughter I am. Not that it ever upset me when I was younger — no, I was happy to be known as Karisma’s little sister. But I knew all along that one day I was going to be on my own, making my mark. I’m just glad that my time has come. It’s time people know me for who I am.

When did you know that you wanted to act?

Ever since I was a kid. I knew it was going to happen someday.

But didn’t you go to Harvard sometime in the middle..?

Yes, I was at Harvard for three months, and then Rakesh Roshan offered me his film (Kaho Naa… Pyaar Hai), so I left everything and came back to be an actress.

Your sister has spoken extensively about her relationship with your grandfather. Were you as close to him as she was?

Not really. I was very young, and Lolo (Karisma) was always his favourite. I was just another one of his grandchildren. If he’d buy her ten dresses, then I’d get only two — that was the equation. I guess I was just too small to share a special bond with him. And besides, nobody could ever get the kind of attention from him that Lolo did. I’m sure he loved me very much — because he was a loving person — but I don’t remember too much as I was just too little.

What’s the most expensive thing you’ve bought yourself with your own money?

It would have to be my car — a Lancer. I remember telling my mum that I wanted it, and she went through all the formalities of buying it. I’m very sentimental about it because it’s the first car I paid for myself. In fact, I plan to keep this car forever — even after I get married. The only funny thing is that I can’t drive.

Where do you see yourself a few years down the line?

I definitely don’t want to be around for ten years. Five to seven years is more than enough. I know I’ll make my mark, and then I’ll just leave. I’m not going to give the audience a chance to say "when" — I want them to say "where?"

Are you happy being part of a herd, or do you want to do things differently?

No, no, no, definitely not. I chose to be different right from my first film. I chose not to belong to the rat race, and I think that’s evident from the promos of Refugee. It’s a role where quality is going to speak. I know that it’s my talent that is going to go a long way, I know that I’m going to be labelled an actress and not just a star.

I’m told you went back to the deserts eleven times, while shooting for Refugee. Was it an uncomfortable experience?

Ya, it was tiring, it was hot, we were travelling long distances like 220 kilometres every day, back and forth. But it’s a part of your job, and I’m not one of those people who’ll complain that there was no AC in my room, or that my feet were hurting… I’m not like that. I’ll rough it out all day — you can make me stand in the sun, you can make me wait in the rain, but after it’s pack-up, I’m not willing to do anything.

You’re a lot younger than most Hindi film heroines. Does that help in any way?

It does help, because I definitely know more about the outside world, and I always maintain a balance between my work and my personal life. What’s more, I always want it to be like that. I keep telling my mother that films are not going to be my whole life. I like to go out with my friends, I like to do other things. That should never change.

Do your friends rib you that you’ve become a star..?

You know, I’m a very private person. I socialise with lots of people, but those are mostly acquaintances. I have very few close friends, and all of them know that this is what I wanted to do from the beginning. Naturally, they’re very proud of me. Sometimes they do tease me, they say I’ve become a star, and that I don’t have enough time for them, but I know that they are happy for me.

Is there anything you miss since you joined the movies?

I miss walking on the road. I used to like to do all this kachra shopping at Fashion Street, which is not possible now. I also can’t go for paani-puri — but to be really honest, I couldn’t do that ealier either, because I had this Kapoor stamp all over my face. Sometimes, I’d go with my servants, but I can’t do that anymore.

Do you still go for a swim to the Otters Club?

I haven’t gone there for almost a month, but that’s something I’m not willing to give up. Everyone stares at me now, so I try to go early in the morning.

How did it feel when you first saw yourself in the promos for Refugee?

The first time I saw myself in the promos was the first time everyone else did, because J P Dutta doesn’t show you any rushes or any promos in advance. I was as excited as everyone else when I first saw the teaser promo which didn’t really show my face. I kept wondering when the full promos would begin, and when I first saw the new ones, I was happy because I looked different. That was what I was relieved about. I was glad that I didn’t end up looking like just another new girl. I felt I’d achieved what I wanted to.

While in Refugee you seem to have this simple look, you go all glamorous in Ajnabi which will be your second release…

That’s exactly what I wanted. I intentionally chose Ajnabi to be my second outing, because I wanted people to see that I could be a good actress. I wanted them to notice the contrast in my look and performance.

Do you study your sister’s career closely so you know what to do and what not to do, or do you want to learn from your own mistakes?

I certainly want to learn from my mistakes, because no human being is perfect. But I’ve been through Lolo’s career all along, because her bond with me is very strong. I’ve been with her right from Prem Qaidi upto her latest film, Fiza. I’ve seen it all through her eyes.

Do the two of you have common friends?

Most of her friends are my friends. Except for Govinda, I’m not friendly with any of her co-stars — I don’t know Salman (Khan) too well — but people she likes to meet are people I know too… like Davidji (director David Dhawan) and Karan (Johar) and Manish (Malhotra). They’re all very nice to me.

Your sister owes a large part of her success to those David Dhawan comedies. But you’ve said you’re not too keen on doing such films…

I’m not. That kind of cinema is very difficult to do. You need to be very versatile to do that. I’m not trying to put anyone down when I say I don’t want to do David Dhawan films, because I know that most of my sister’s hits have been with Davidji, but I just want to prove myself in good cinema where I’ll be known as a good actress first… And besides, I don’t identify with those leave-your-brains-behind kind of movies. I watch such movies, however, and I appreciate the hard work gone in them, but I don’t see myself doing them. Luckily, there have never been any offers to do David Dhawan movies, because it would be very difficult to say no.

Any opportunities yet to work with your sister?

No, not as yet, because I don’t want to work with her. It’s too early. I still have to make my mark, and then, maybe later…

Do you resent the comparisons with Karisma?

I don’t think there are any comparisons, because we are two different people. I am on screen what I am in person. Lolo, on the other hand, becomes somebody else. She can do these David Dhawan films with such conviction… Also, she’s such an amazing dancer, while I have two left feet. I think anyone who compares us now, will stop once they see me on screen and once they realise how totally different the two of us are.

Are the two of you close?

She is the most possessive person in the world. She gets mad at me if I spend too much time with my friends. She needs me to be with her whenever I can.

When you’re with her, is it difficult to find other things to talk about, besides movies?

We talk about our lives, we talk about the world. Lolo likes to read India Today

and business magazines, but deep down inside, she’s a total filmi. She knows all film collections by heart… For my part, I make no bones about the fact that I like reading gossip magazines.

Although the media has often been partial to her, Karisma has also seen their terrible side. Are you prepared for all the scandals, the stories and the rumours?

The media doesn’t know that I’m not like Lolo. She was a total mouse. I’m not somebody who’s going to keep quiet. Meanwhile, I also know that the media likes people who don’t keep quiet — they want their scoops, their scandals, their never-ending battles… I’m very sharp and shrewd. I know I like to read magazines, I like to know what’s going on, who’s seeing whom. But I won’t take it if they go out of hand. I want to make that clear from the very beginning. You be nice to me, and I’ll be nice to you.

Surely you’ve had those normal school-girl crushes? A boyfriend, perhaps?

Ya, ya, ya… I’m very normal, I’ve had crushes, I’ve found guys cute. Yes, I did have a boyfriend, but that was way back in school. I guess now if I were to fall in love, it might be difficult for the guy because I’m in the movies. But then, Kajol was able to balance a love life with her career, so I’m sure it’s not impossible.