Playing herself

My on-screen character Madhu,is a stark contrast to the roles I had essayed previously. Kucch Luv Jaisaa is a film about two strangers,who spend the day together. I play Madhu,a bored housewife whose husband forgets her birthday. So,she decides to spend the day doing things that would make her happy. She tries to smoke,gets herself a new car using her husbands credit card and goes for a makeover. When the script was first narrated to me,I accepted Madhu instinctively as she was like my better half. Madhu is quirky,vulnerable,funny and can take things with a pinch of salt,just like me. Not many people know this side of me as I havent really played myself on-screen.

So,how did it feel to play your age for the first time?

It felt as though I was coming out of the closet. It is a complete shift for me. All this while,I have done roles that required me to look a certain way and I stayed true to my characters. I never paid attention to my vanity,my looks or the way I dress. When you are playing a heroine,there are certain expectations that the audience has.

But,is it necessary to look glamorous as an actor? You have done well for yourself in the past with your Plain Jane image too.

I would say that when you are thin it is much easier to dress up. Dressed in a plain pair of denims and a T-shirt,I still look presentable. I try to stay away from heavy make-up. The makeover was not such a huge effort. The heroine is always expected to be beautiful,well-kept,sexy and desirable. When a director like Barnali Ray Shukla took the chance to put me there,I had to be true to my character. I must admit that it was for the first time that I had concentrated on the way I look.

Were there any other noticeable efforts that you underwent for your role in Kucch Luv Jaisaa?

The weight loss I underwent was a huge challenge; I knocked off 12 kilos in a month with a drastic diet and tedious workouts.

Is it true that you have worn just one dress throughout the film?

Two dresses to be precisethe same dress in a duplicate. It was very boring to wear one dress for continuity reasons. And it was very tough to maintain continuity throughout the shooting. Every time I wore the dress,I felt that it was loose as I kept losing weight. Dressing up is not my forte and my team of stylists had to work hard on my image.

Do you think Rahul did justice to the role of an

underworld don in the film?

Rahul and I had done Aparna Sens 15 Park Avenue. Rahul is such a self-assured actor that he lets you have your space. Its fun working with Rahul as we both come from the same subtle school of acting. When I heard that Rahul was cast for the role of a don I was shocked. Rahul and an underworld don are like chalk and cheese; he is so proper and his English is so prolific. I just couldnt have imagined him playing a don! But after working with him,I retract my statement. Rahul has neither gone the Bhiku Mhatre,way nor is he loud and obnoxious. He is just himself and he has played the role to perfection.

How was it working with a debutant director?

Barnali is very comfortable to work with as a director as she gives you space to grow. She was gracious enough to let me be the surrogate mom on the project. We had

rehearsed the script before Kucch Luv Jaisaa went on floors as we did not have a big budget and had all the time in the world for retakes.

You played a mom in Waqt: The Race Against Time and Gandhi My Father. Do you regret playing an older woman on-screen?

Waqt and Gandhi My Father were my doing. I chose the films,as I thought that an actor has to act irrespective of age,caste and creed. I consciously raised my screen-age and it was my fault. I should not have done it. Akshay Kumar is older than me and yet I played his on-screen mom in Waqt. I am glad that I got out of the mould.

Have you seen the industry change through the years?

Yes. Whats good is that newer talent is being recognised and they are given a fair chance to act. Whats not great is that an actress is still expected to be well-groomed and thin. Till date an actress is not known for her acting. You are only asked how short your dress can get and how slim is your waist size. The yardstick is a little different for an actress who is expected to do intelligent cinema. She cannot be dancing around,and looking glamorous is a sin! The industry still fails to understand that we are not the roles; we become the roles that we play.

Whats next in store from you?

To be honest,Im eagerly waiting for the release of Kucch Luv Jaisaa. The film is important for me as I have moved away from my serious,intense mould into a lighter space. I plan to be choosy in the future. If its not worth going out and doing a project,then I wont take up a role. I have also made a conscious decision not to play elderly roles. When I get to that age,I will do older roles. I have raised the bar with films like Satya,Monsoon Wedding,Gandhi My Father and The Last Lear. I plan to climb the ladder with better quality of work. I might get offered 10 films in a year but I plan to wait for that one film,even if it has to come after a two-year wait. In the mean time Ill busy myself doing interiors,travelling,watching films,reading and being a doting mom and a loving wife.