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The stunningly beautiful, 5’6″ tall actress who is all set to storm Bollywood in a big way with Ronnie Rodriguez’s film shortly, is keeping her fingers crossed and hopes she is paired opposite Akshay Kumar in the film.  Here are edited excerpts of her conversation with Jyoti Venkatesh, who interviewed her for NRI Achievers.

Is it true that you didn’t want to take up acting in films initially?

It is true that initially I only wanted to take up modelling but when I made the rounds of auditions, people asked me to try my luck in films and after acting in plays, I decided to migrate to Mumbai.

Are you related to Huma Qureshi in any way?

No, I am not related to Huma Qureshi in any way, but I am flattered since she is a good looking girl who is also a great actress.

How did you bag the offer to play the leading lady in producer Ronnie Rodriguez’s film which is yet to be titled?

It was just by sheer luck that I bagged the film. I was sitting at a KFC outlet in Lokhandwala just a month ago, when Ronnie had walked in with his friends one evening. When he saw me, he immediately sent a friend of his to ask me if I were contemplating on taking up acting in films. When I said yes, I was introduced to Ronnie and the very next day he called me to his office and I was signed for my very first film.

Have you been signed for just one film or more as is the practice today?

Ronnie has signed me not for just one but three films, which his production house PBC Motion Picture Private limited is going to launch this year. I am glad that though I came from Jaipur in search of the right offer as a heroine, I didn’t flip for each and every film that I was offered in the last couple of years and waited for this prestigious project.

Does it mean that you didn’t have to struggle to get a break?

No, I didn’t have to struggle in the conventional sense to get a break, but was preparing to be an actor by watching films and observing actors and how they interpret their roles.

Did you succumb to the temptation of making money by agreeing to work in TV serials?

Why just TV serials, I flatly said no to offers to play insignificant roles in big films as well as main roles in insignificant films because I knew that I am destined for bigger films and a great future in Bollywood.

Was it easy for you to convince your conservative parents to agree to let you act in films considering that you belong to a Muslim family?

I had to surmount a lot of objections from my family but I managed to win over my parents, especially my father, because by nature I am quite ziddi and they had no other alternative but to let me pursue my ambitions.

Did your boyfriend readily agree to let you take up a career in films?

I do not have any boyfriend because I am of the opinion that a boyfriend is a great hindrance if a young girl wants to pursue a career as an actor in films.

What is your concept of Mr. Right?

Though I do not believe in having boyfriends, I will never indulge in flirting with boys and lead them up the garden path. I am serious about marrying someone and settling down like Madhuri Dixit did after establishing herself in films as a sought-after actress. I’d opt for a love marriage with a guy who is not only understanding but also not domineering.

What would you have become if you did not take up acting?

If I had not taken up acting, I’d have been a housewife.

To what extent have you experienced the syndrome of the casting couch in Bollywood ?

Look here. There are wolves in every sphere for work whether you work in films or TV or corporate companies and it is up to you to steer clear ahead of them.  You should know how to deal with people and also to sift the right people from the wrong ones.

 

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