INTERVIEW
‘I want to shed my goody-goody image’

IF Rajashri Productions had to select a heroine for their film from the current crop, it would undoubtedly be Amrita Rao. Somehow, her innocent look, petite frame and girlish voice makes for the perfect combination for a Barjatya production. The Mills-and-Boon heroine, who started her career with Shahid Kapoor in Ishq Vishq and continued to dish out hits in the form of – Main Hoon Na and The Legend of Bhagat Singh came back into the limelight with a Rajashri production – Vivah. Excerpts from an interview with Srabanti Chakrabarti

Amrita Rao with Shahid Kapur in a still from Vivah

There’s a very interesting story behind this. Last year when Mumbai was reeling under the 26/7 floods, I was in Delhi and couldn’t come back. All flights were being cancelled and there was no way I could make it to Mumbai till the water receded. To make use of my time, I decided to make a trip to Mathura-Vrindavan. I was moved to see all the temples there and had a very nice experience interacting with the people there. They were so down to earth and close to their roots and were so content – I really liked them a lot.

After spending some time in the holy cities, I came back to Mumbai. By then, Mumbai had returned to normalcy, and Bollywood was up on its feet again. My secretary told me that while I was away, there was a call from Sooraj Barjatya’s office and I was expected to return the call. After I called him back, he offered me the role of Poonam in Vivah.

Though apparently there is no connection between the two, it was a very strange feeling for me. Here I visit Mathura-Vrindavan and get a feel of the life in smaller towns, and the moment I am back I am offered the role of a small-town girl. Madhurpur in Vivah is very similar to Mathura in real life. Even the dialogues I have in the film are so similar to the way people speak in Mathura.

Though I have been born and brought up in a big city, I can relate very well to the character of Poonam because of my temperament. Believe it or not, I was a very shy girl and hardly interacted with guys. In fact, I have never been out on a date. A lot of the values that I have are similar to those of Poonam in Vivah.

(Smiles) As I told you some time back, I am a very shy girl. I started – somewhat – opening up during my modelling days when I had to start interacting with guys. But even today I am not as open as many of my colleagues in the industry.

If you ask me about arranged marriage, yes I do have my reservations. I can’t imagine sitting all decked up, waiting for a guy to come and ‘see’ me! And, after that one visit, get married to him. But arranged marriages do work – I know innumerable people who have had successful arranged marriages. I would like to fall in love with someone before marrying him.

Both of us started our careers with Ishq Vishq – which was a mega hit. One of the greatest plus points of working with Shahid is the fact that we both think alike. Whenever there is a scene with Shahid, both of us know how to act and what to expect in return from the other person. Our thought processes are very similar and that makes life so much easier. I feel that this is what makes our pair click.

If you take a look at my career graph closely – from Ishq Vishq to Vivah – I have been very choosy about my films. I have never grabbed any and every opportunity that came my way. That does not mean that I have not made mistakes, but have ensured that I learn from them and don’t repeat them in the future.

If you ask me about my future plans, I would say that I want to shed my ‘goody-goody’ image and do unconventional roles. I am waiting for the right offer with this kind of a different role.

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