At one time she was being considered for the vamp's role in Khiladiyon Ka Khiladi, but the producer felt she was a bit too young to play Madam Maya, and cast her opposite Inder Kumar instead. And though she got to sing and dance, Barkha's debut went virtually unnoticed. Today she admits that it was a mistake accepting this Rekha-Akshay-Raveena starrer. But she is optimistic that she will land some interesting roles because as she says, "I don't just want to prance around in a bikini."

This Delhi lass was happy playing basketball in the junior national championships and trekking the Himalayas during her vacations, till a fashion show choreographer spotted her at a college festival. And life was never the same again for Barkha. "The choreographer was convinced that I had all the makings of a ramp model. Not only was I slim, but I also stood tall at 5'8". On his advice I got my portfolio shot by Subho Das, one of the top photographers of Delhi, and was initiated into the world of glitz and glamour," remembers Barkha.

It was Das who coaxed Barkha to enter her name for the Femina Miss India contest in 1994-95 and she made it to the top 10. But it was another Delhi girl, Sushmita Sen, who walked away with the crown that year, leaving Barkha a wee bit disappointed. "But not for long because the organisers wanted me for another contest since I was among the top 10 finalists. It was the Miss Tourism International held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. I was the third runner-up and did many tourism promotional ads for India," she informs. By then the acting bug had bitten the stunner and naturally Mumbai was her next stop. Initially, she tried her hand at anchoring and hosted five episodes of Siyarma Hit Parade on ATN. But it was the big screen that had caught her fancy and she enrolled in Rashmi Dhawan's (Anil Dhawan's wife) acting school. "Rashmiji really encouraged me because she was confident I had the talent. It only needed a little polishing," Barkha smiles.

While she was still "polishing" her talent, she was told Time Magnetics were on the lookout for a new girl for their film Khiladiyon Ka Khiladi. Barkha took a screen-test, but weeks passed and Barkha didn't hear from Time. "Rashmiji then told me to contact Keshu Ramsay, the producer of the film. While we were conversing on the phone, Keshuji asked me how tall I was, and on hearing that I was 5'8", he asked me if I was interested in doing a negative role. I was a little taken aback and said `no'. But later I thought I should go and meet a producer who had offered me a role without even looking at me," Barkha confides.

What she didn't anticipate was the surprise Keshu had in store for her. He told her that she was being considered for the negative role which was eventually played by Rekha. "But when Keshuji saw me he told me that I was too young to look vampish. He told me to meet Umesh Mehra, the director of the film, who signed me opposite Inder Kumar," she says with an air of satisfaction.

The only condition Mehra put forward was that Barkha should have a passport since she was required to shoot in Canada in a week's time. Barkha had her passport made when she had to go to Kuala Lumpur for the tourism contest and confidently told Mehra not to worry since her passport was ready. "But my world almost came crashing down when I discovered that my passport which was due to expire, was valid only for a few days. Somehow I manage to renew it within the stipulated time and I was off to Canada for a month-long schedule," she beams.

It was only after Khiladiyon Ka Khiladi was released that the newcomer realised her debut had gone unnoticed. There was no publicity or media hype associated with a newcomer's first release. "Many of my scenes were edited out and even the one song sequence that I had was snipped," she says sadly. But with Rekha, Akshay Kumar and Raveena in the cast wasn't that expected? "I guess I made the wrong choice," she admits. "But every cloud has a silver lining. Working with a stalwart like Rekhaji, who's my favourite, was a great learning experience. The film also game me a lot of creative satisfaction."

Barkha is not disheartened by the industry's lukewarm response to her debut. She states emphatically that she is not into films for money, fame or glamour. "I am here purely for artistic satisfaction and would like to do only performance-oriented roles," she insists. But heroines, espically newcomers, are generally relegated to being just decorative dolls in most films. Even she was one in KKK. "I know," she concedes, "But I want to do something more than just prance about in a two-piece bikini. And the filmmakers I have met have been really encouraging. Lekh Tandonji has advised me to take things easy for a while. How I wish he was making films today instead of serials. I would also love to do at least one film with Shyam Benegal and Priyadarshan, and model myself on the lines of Tabu."

The newcomer, in a passing reference, mentions that producer-director Harmesh Malhotra happens to be her uncle. Is he helping her to gain a foothold in the industry? "He's always there to guide me," she says, "But I wouldn't want him to recommend me to his filmmaker friends, neither will be like doing it. I'd rather have the satisfaction of making it on my own steam."