Revolutionary ROAD

Vishakha Singh talks about playing a revolutionary in her debut film,Khelein Hum Jee Jaan Sey,working with Abhishek Bachchan and on being a huge fan of Shah Rukh Khan.

Vishakha Singh talks about playing a revolutionary in her debut film,Khelein Hum Jee Jaan Sey,working with Abhishek Bachchan and on being a huge fan of Shah Rukh Khan.

Launch Vehicle
I play Preetilata,an anti-British revolutionary from Bengal who was part of the Chittagong Uprising. She gets inducted into the Indian Republican Army which is led by a school teacher,Suria Sen,and his five friends. Preetilata successfully led an entire team of eight youngsters and attacked an European Club,the specialty of the club being that dogs and Indians were not allowed. There is also a romantic angle,where I play Sikandar Kher8217;s love interest. The challenge was not in playing a revolutionary. I had prepared for the role,in terms of how to aim and fire with a rifle. But,the real trouble was running about in a sari,especially while doing the action scenes.

Casting Coup
Last year I had heard that Ashu-sir Ashutosh Gowariker was making a period film. I approached him and sent my profile photos to him. But,by then he had already cast the main lead and I kind of lost hope. Then one fine day I got a call from Ashu-sir8217;s office saying that he would like me to come and audition for Preetilata8217;s role. I wasn8217;t really aware of the Chittagong Uprising then. So before the auditions I did the research for the role and was shocked to know how revered Preetilata is in Bangladesh. Post the audition,I was so confident that I went and cut my long nails,as revolutionaries do not require to have long nails. But,I did not get a call from Ashu-sir8217;s office for the next one month. Later,when I heard that he had started shooting in Sawantwadi,I was confident that I had lost my chance. That is when I received an sms from Ashu-sir saying that I have been confirmed for the role! I guess I am the first actress to have been confirmed via sms.

Stepping-Stone
Post my graduation from Delhi,I did a couple of commercials. After appearing in a slew of commercials for two years,I did a couple of films down South before landing my first break in Bollywood.

First Shot
My very first shot was with Abhishek Bachchan aka Master Da I still refer to him by that name. It was my most important scene and fortunately for me,I managed to pull through the shot with much ease. I remember going back home and jotting down in my diary,that I could not still believe that the first day of the shoot is finally over. I was not nervous at all during the shoot as Abhishek Bachchan was very accommodating and gave me the space to perform even though I was a newcomer. It was fun to perform with him as he lightens the atmosphere on the sets.

Stumbling-Block
I have no filmi background and I think that somewhere it helps when you are from the industry as you get the initial push. You can lose out on crucial years of your life considering that an actress8217; shelf-life is far lesser than the actor8217;s. I did face a challenge playing a 18-year-old girl from the 8217;30s in the film. There had to be a certain thehrav in my character for which I had to be a lot more subdued than my usual self.

Lessons Learnt
I have come to the conclusion that if you have talent you will eventually get noticed. The trick is not to have too many expectations. I just do my work and will rather let my talent speak.

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Matinee Idol
I am a huge Shah Rukh Khan fan and Hrithik Roshan. I would want to work with them. I would love to work with Vishal Bhardwaj,Karan Johar and the Chopras.

Future Projects
I am going really slow with my future projects. As of now there is KHJJS and I also have an International project Genius Of Beauty,directed by Aarin Mehta. The film has been showcased at the Cannes Film Festival and will release next year.

anita.aikaraexpressindia.com