What are your plans about working in movies?
I
don't have any intention of doing ten films a year. I would like to do
four, with gaps in between. From November, I am starting a project with
Arefin Shuvo as my co-star. I am currently preparing for that role. For
Aashiqui, I did a five-month long 'workshop'. It was a workshop
conducted by me, for me.
Your first movie, Aashiqui, has recently been released.
Given
that it is my first film, I was extremely nervous before its release,
captivated with different worries just before Eid. Now, the film is
doing well; the audience is enjoying watching it. I would have been very
saddened if the response wasn't positive. There is a portion in the
audience who are not theatre-goers, but had come to watch this film.
This is my biggest achievement from Aashiqui.
Many people are saying that the film is not doing well. And issues
have been raised - dialogues are in Hindi and the singer who was
supposed to sing in the movie has been replaced with another.
The
movie has been met with controversies since its inception. And it is
continuing to be that way. The audience has in fact accepted the movie
wholeheartedly. When you are doing something worthwhile, there will
always be controversies.
And I really can't talk about the issues that are being pointed out.
The production company will be able to clarify better. Perhaps these
things arose due to the rush of completing the movie. I couldn't get
enough time to work with some of the dialogues. The editing took place
in Kolkata, and the same final output has been screened here as well.
Could you share your experience about the time when you first stood in front of the camera at Aashiqui's set?
I
didn't meet the director or my co-star Ankush Hazra beforehand. And it
was a new place for me. The first shot, which also had Ankush in it, was
a scene where I had to cry. And I got tensed when I discovered that the
hero would kiss me on that scene. The director tried to ease me, saying
that it was just a kiss on the forehead. "But it had to be in my very
first shot!" I thought. In the crying scene, I failed to cry, and the
director yelled at me for that. And that yell made me cry like a baby.
You are now a film actor. How do you feel about that?
Responsibility
has increased. I am not just acting. There is a lot of work, like
branding and marketing. I have done everything that needs to be done to
take myself to a larger audience.
How did you get the offer of playing a role in a movie?
I
took part in a Channel i programme that was held in Qatar. There, I
danced rather well in a song by Mila. Faridur Reza Sagor and Abdul Aziz
were very impressed by my performance. Faridur Reza Sagor brought
forward the idea of making me a movie actor. It was then when Jaaz
Multimedia planned to take me up as a heroine. I will always be indebted
to Channel i. I had to give an audition at Jaaz. After that, I had to
go to Kolkata, and then, after different auditions and tests, I was
selected
Do tell us more.
For example, fitness is
extremely important. I have spent three and a half hours of every day
in the gym. I practiced my dance moves. I also put effort on speaking
proper Bengali.
You are a heroine now. Do you actually have time to watch movies? Do you watch a lot of them?
I
used to watch Hollywood movies regularly; but I didn't watch Bollywood
and Bengali cinema that much. But I gradually started to watch
Bollywood, and, since the time I became an actor, I started watching
Bengali flicks. I watch movies whenever I get the chance.
Who's your favourite heroine?
I am a big fan of Kareena Kapoor.
What's your fashion mantra?
I wear
whatever suits me. And I understand what goes with my personality and
what doesn't. I have never imitated anyone when it comes to fashion.
Tell us your love story. Are you seeing anyone now?
At
times, I am very emotional; and at others, I'm quite unemotional.
Perhaps due to this duality, I fall in love quite often. I am always in
love. I cannot work well when I'm single. Being in love is a secret
source of my energy!
Interviewed by Zahid Akbar and Narrated by Himadri
