Launch Vehicle

Hide And Seek is an action thriller and I play the female protagonist. Apoorva Lakhia’s assistant Sean Arranha is directing the film. The story is about six friends who while playing a game of hide-and-seek encounter something unfortunate that changes their lives forever. Each goes his separate way only to incidentally meet 15 years later. It is a beautiful script and my character graph is very strong.

Casting Coup

I know it sounds clichéd but I think I was destined to start my career with this film. Apoorva Lakhia came across some of my pictures online and got in touch with me. He asked me to send him a few more pictures and finally called me for a meeting. A couple of auditions later, I was finalised to play the lead role.

Stepping-Stone

I have always wanted to be an actress, but I strongly believe that acting is something that cannot be learnt. It has to be inherent, nobody can teach you to act. The Miss India beauty pageant gave me all the hands-on training. Besides that, I have done a couple of TV commercials and brand endorsements and walked the ramp at various fashion weeks for all the top designers in India.

First Shot

I was absolutely thrilled when I was to face the camera for the first time. I wasn’t nervous because before the shooting started, I had done a 15-day workshop with the director. I was prepared with my dialogues and the scenes; I just had to learn the technicalities like camera angles, light, etc. Spending time with my director helped me because I exactly knew how he visualised my character.

Stumbling Block

It is usually said that models can’t act, but it is absolutely untrue. Look at actors like Lara Dutta, Priyanka Chopra and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan; they have all carved a niche for themselves in the industry. When I bagged the crown in 2006, I was flooded with offers, but I could not make up my mind and choose one film. That time I just took it slow and today I am sure I couldn’t have started my career with a better film than Hide And Seek.

Lessons Learnt

There are so many valuable lessons about filmmaking that I learnt on the sets. You have to have a rapport and an understanding with your teammates. When you are shooting, you are in a team so you’re not being judged as an actor alone but also as a human being. You have to have a good tuning with all artistes. It is the tuning and the ability to adjust that makes a lot of difference.

Matinee Idol

I have never really imagined being in somebody else’s shoes. I would definitely want to work with Mr Amitabh Bachchan and Hrithik Roshan. Actually, I am looking forward to working with everyone in the industry.

Future Projects