What did you feel when you first stepped into the seductive red gown you wear in Acid Factory?I was super excited by designers Shantanu and Nikhil's creation. And when I looked at myself in the mirror I said 'Wow'!
Would you wear something like that in real life?
Of course! In fact I wear a lot of seductive clothes and then all my friends exclaim 'Oh, you are looking hot!' It is only that the characters I have portrayed on screen were sweet and innocent, so filmmakers and people cannot imagine me as hot or sexy.
Would you like to do more films presenting you as hot and sexy?
I would like to be presented in many different ways!
How did you feel being the only girl in an all-male film?
I enjoyed all the attention my six co-stars, Aftab Shivdasani, Dino Morea, Danny Denzongpa, Fardeen Khan, Irrfan Khan and Manoj Bajpai showered on me during that 45-day schedule in Hyderabad. However, later I became one of them and then it was on a man-to-man level.
What if six men were to woo you in real life?
It's really never happened, but it would be fun. Like any woman I would bask in all the attention.
Are you likely to woo a man?
Hmmm, I think once in a way it's fun for a woman to chase a man. I would enjoy wooing a man, who is not paying me too much attention, because I would love to know the reason. He'll definitely keep me on my toes.
So what traits in a man would attract you?
At first instant it would be the way he carries himself. That would be in the way he greets me, my family and in the way he treats the help in the house. But of course with time, it has to be about how bright he is, how good a conversationalist, how emotionally intelligent etcetera. The list is long indeed!
Have you met anyone like that?
I have met a lot of interesting men. But no one has managed to have an effect on me in that way for a while.
What made you take up the role of a nerd with negative shades in Jai Veeru?
Okay, so the film and I are not getting rave reviews but I don't regret doing it. I signed it four years back during my lean phase. Things have taken off since, but it does not take away the fact that I was signed when I was fed up of people telling me that I was talented and beautiful but not offering me work.
Otherwise what attracts you to a film?
I leave it to my gut feel! My biggest high is when a filmmaker tells me that no one but I can do the film. Shoojit Sircar's Johnny Mastana (earlier Shoebite) is special because the director told me that.
In Johnny Mastana, you are married to a UK-based businessman and in Kissan you are married to a son of the soil. In real life, would the professions matter to you?
For marriage, lot more things come into play, other than a person's profession. Like how grounded he is, how he gets along with his and my family, how independent he is and his values.
What does marriage mean to you?
It's a life-long journey between two individuals.
Are you a romantic person?
Yes, very. I'm very romantic for my family and all my close friends as well. I love pampering my close ones with gifts and surprises.
Is a candle-lit dinner the ultimate in romance for you?
No. The most romantic gesture I have seen is when a man notices his partner is uncomfortable in a crowded room and without uttering a word he goes across and puts his arm around her. Not a single word spoken, but everything said by that gesture.
