LIKE any newcomer who's paired opposite a popular star, Delhi lass Sonal Sehgal is excited about acting with John Abraham in Nagesh Kukunoor’s forthcoming film Aashayein. “To do your first film with an established actor is a safer bet,” says the pretty actor.

But to call Sehgal a complete rookie is unfair: the actor has a bit of commendable stuff under her belt. Right after graduating from Delhi University in English Literature, Sehgal got herself a job as an assistant director with filmmaker Pradeep Sarkar’s ad-film unit. “Whenever we were pressed for time, or low on budget or couldn't fix a model, I would get in front of the camera,” she laughs. “That’s how my acting career started. One thing led to another and one day I discovered the actor in me.”

When Sarkar moved to Mumbai, Sehgal followed. But this time she took to the small screen. “I got a role in the serial, Sara Akaash. I also acted in Hotel Kingston,” she says adding that in the latter she bagged the lead role.

How come Aashayein did not happen then? “I had taken a break from serials - I was too tired. When you do television you work around the clock; I felt that I was missing out on life. I started doing commercials. When I heard about Kukunoor's movie, I auditioned for it like everybody else and got it,” she says.

But ask her about her role and all you get is a broad smile. Sehgal’s lips are zipped: “We (her character and John's) are a live-in couple and we are madly in love with each other. However, we go through a really tough time.”

Now that she has acted for a big banner (Aashayein is produced by Percept Picture Company and T-Series), there must be other interesting offers. “After doing a beautiful film like this one, I want to be choosy about what I do next because it's really once in a while that you get a break like this. And I do not want to do meaningless, silly roles where I stand in the background wearing some nice clothes and doing nothing. I want to do something that has little more mettle like this one,” she asserts.

The 5’7” girl looks stunning with John in the first look of the film. But the buzz goes that Abraham has done his career’s best in this film. Is she frightened of being over-shadowed? “There’s money involved and it's indeed a John Abraham film,” she says. “I’m not disappointed; he is worth the adulation.”