The Comeback Girl

They loved her for her looks; they loved her for her histrionics.

Then, the adulation flustered Chitrangada Singh; now, she is eager for more

They loved her for her looks; they loved her for her histrionics. Five years ago, most of those who walked out of the cinemas, having watched the end credits roll on Hazaaron Khwaishein Aisi, got starry-eyed about Chitrangada Singh. Since talented dusky heroines have to be called the new Smita Patil, that moniker also stuck. It was anybody8217;s dream debut, except that she wasn8217;t ready for it. 8220;The adulation was too unsettling for me and I did not know how to react. I had to think about what I really wanted to do,8221; says Singh, at her home in Gurgaon, having returned from a sky-diving camp in Hissar.

So she disappeared from the scene, except for an appearance in the 2005 dud Kal: Yesterday and Tomorrow, while rumours went about in B-town that her husband, the golfer Jyoti Randhawa, had stopped her from acting. Now, after a child, a few charcoal painting sessions and yoga, she is back 8212; in Onir8217;s Sorry Bhai, that also stars Shabana Azmi and Boman Irani. Singh calls this 8220;a new beginning8221; rather than a 8220;comeback8221;, and you can already sense the anxiety in her voice. 8220;I am slightly nervous. It has been some time since I acted,8221; she says.

The break evidently did her good; for one, she realised that two films are not even a blip in Bollywood. 8220;When I joined, I had no godfather. Now I have learnt to cope with the attention and I don8217;t discount the fame that my first movie has brought; it has got me where I am today. But there is no pressure to perform,8221; she says. And Onir called her just when she was eager to return before the camera. 8220;I had changed my phone number and was out of touch with everyone in the industry. I was also hesitant to call up directors and ask for work. Somehow, someone gave my number to Onir, he asked me and I immediately agreed to do the film,8221; she says, laughing at the serendipity of it all.

The film sees Singh playing a girl caught between the affection of two brothers played by Sanjay Suri and Sharman Joshi. 8220;There is a twist to the love angle. It is dealt with innocently and happily, not like a clicheacute;d love triangle,8221; she says. Sorry Bhai also sees Singh cast alongside her childhood idol, Shabana Azmi. 8220;I just admire her career graph. She handles and guides the scene effortlessly, which is an art in itself. On the sets, I was a sucker for her and sat for hours watching her. She even advised me against studying acting,8221; says Singh, as she rates Arth and Masoom among Azmi8217;s greatest films.

The comeback girl, who calls herself 8220;a director8217;s actor who can8217;t act if she doesn8217;t understand the role8221;, is not choosy. 8220;Any challenging role appeals to me. Commercial, art house, period 8212; I am open to anything,8221; she says. After her dream debut with Sudhir Mishra, she will be back on his sets in December for Aur Devdas where she plays Chandramukhi. 8220;He appreciates my acting and I like his kind of cinema,8221; she says. The Mishra-Singh tango doesn8217;t end there. She also stars in his Nawab and John Company that releases in July next year.