‘I have grown with every film’

I regret having made my debut with an item number in Road as I missed out on the chance to have a better launch as an actor, Koena Mitra tells V. Ananth

Koena Mitra is choosy an actress

Koena Mitra may have made her debut with a sizzling item number in Ramgopal Varma’s Road four years ago. But when quizzed about it, on the eve of the release of her latest film Ek Khiladi Ek Haseena, she tells you that she considers Ek Khiladi Ek Haseena as her debut film and not Road.

"When I got the offer to do the item number in Road, I was busy as a model in Mumbai and had absolutely no plans to take up acting in movies as my career. I said yes to Ramuji because I was quite excited to work with a filmmaker like him. However, today very frankly I regret having made my debut with an item number because I feel that had I not made my bow as an item number actress at that point of time, I’d have had a better launch as an actor."

Koena concedes that as an actress, she has been quite choosy even though she is just yet another newcomer in show biz. "I am very conscious about which film I agree to do because I do not want to regret doing any film later, say, after three years. Till date I have done only Road, Sanjay Gupta’s Musafir, Pritish Nandy’s Ek Khiladi Ek Haseena and right now I am working in Subhash Ghai’s Money Money Money. I make it a point to choose good banners and good packages because I have realised one thing. That only good filmmakers will present and promote me well. It is more important in the film industry to sell yourself as an actor and be seen at the right place at the right time."

In Ek Khiladi Ek Haseena, Koena has been cast as the solo heroine for the first time in her career opposite the flamboyant Fardeen Khan. "I play Natasha Kapoor, who is a psychiatrist, who is more of a con-woman. I play a calm and composed character, which does not get hyper at all.

Though Fardeen and I turn out to be con persons, there is absolutely no negativity in us. If even two persons who watch the film like me, the entire credit for extracting work out of me ought to go to Supran Varma."

Koena says that if only she had wanted it that way, she could have grabbed around 15 B grade offers that she kept on receiving after the release of Musafir and made a lot of money and told producers that she was busy till 2008 with no dates of hers to spare for any new project. "I said no to films like Hawas. Tell me who would watch my movies if I did not have a good co-star? It has been my conscious decision to choose the correct banners. Today it makes me happy that a filmmaker like Subhash Ghai has signed me for his film. Obviously he would have thought of casting me only after seeing something in me. Isn’t it?"

What is your role in Money Money Money? Pat comes the reply: "My role in Money Money Money is completely in contrast of what I am in real life. I play a comedy role. It is a big challenge to try your hand at comedy. I play the role of Julie, who has a very tomboyish side to her. Unlike what I am in real life, she is very loud and outspoken. She is today’s woman, an aspiring singer who happens to be Anglo Indian. My co-stars in Money Money Money are Riteish Deshmukh, Riya Sen and Celina Jaitley.

"I have grown with every film. You will find that I am better as an actor in Ek Khiladi Ek Haseena than what I was in Musafir. I do not blame my makers for whatever performance I have given earlier. It is just that I grow with experience. I think my biggest minus point is that I think too much about my characters and criticise myself harshly every time I watch myself on the screen and get into bouts of depression. Even Amitabh Bachchan said that he is learning every day as an actor. When compared with him, I feel that I am just a wannabe new actress who still has a long way to go."

Koena has her fundas right as an actor. When I ask her to what extent is she ready to shed her clothes for the sake of her character, she quips. "If I play the role of a sex worker and the director asks me to do a bed room sequence, I’d be game to do it. But if I am acting in a clean family social, I’d say no to the director if he asks me to do a bedroom dream sequence just to sell the film.

Koena says she is waiting to do challenging roles with good directors. "I want to work with Prakash Jha because he makes sensible and different kinds of movies. I am looking forward to working with a sensitive filmmaker like Yash Chopra who makes women-centric movies.

I am keen on working with Sanjay Gupta once again after Musafir because he has this knack of giving a great look to action movies. I want to work with Vikram Bhatt because he makes films with great detailing." — MF

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