You are known for glamourous roles. So what made you do this de-glam role?
I did this film with Buddhadev Dasgupta called KAALPURUSH, which was de-glamourous. It won the National Award also. It changed my life. It changed me as an actress. I began to understand the nuances of acting. Perhaps, that is one of the reasons which prompted me to do RED ALERT.
Bollywood is fun. It has a lot of dance and music. It is fun doing roles like RACE where you are completely dumb. But to actually get into a role and understand the reason behind doing it is something else. It's a very different high.
You are playing a naxalite in the film. Can you tell us more about your role?
The character that I'm playing is of a very run-of the-mill girl who gets raped by the police. She is picked up by a naxalite camp. Then she begins to understand the motives of the naxalites. The film is trying to say that nobody is born a terrorist. They take up terrorism because of some reason.
Were you skeptical about doing such a serious role?
It is just a responsibility. I had to make sure that I did not hurt anyone's sentiments. It is a very hard hitting subject. You can't take it lightly. People will ask you if you are on the government's side or are you supporting the naxals. We are not taking any sides. We are just raising an issue and giving you a story around it.
We will see you holding a gun and shooting in this film. How comfortable were you with it?
I used a gun in MUSAFIR. At that time, it was very difficult. I held back and started shouting. It's very weird to hold a gun with all the dust flying off.
What are your future projects?
I have a film staring in September which I can't talk about. You will know in a week about it. I have finished Nagesh Kukunoor's YEH HONSLA which I'm waiting for Percept to release. Because of the global recession, many films were stalled. Now, a lot of them are being released.
You are doing many films down South...
Yes, it's mind blowing in the South. They call me the busiest girl in town. My Tamil film, VAARANAM AAYIRAM won the National Award. I hope one of my Hindi films also wins one too.
