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Hollywood is not about greener postures.......
Q. How was it different working with Rituparno Ghosh, compared to the Bombay directors? He is a different personality...
Ans. I look at it as not necessarily regionalising it...From director to director, personalities differ even within the supposed Hindi film industry, the Tamil industry...
Q. Did you ever ask Rituparno why he chose you, a non-Bengali?
Ans. I think he was asked by every-one was 'why Aishwarya?' 'Did you go for her stardom?'...He was convinced I'd be Binodini, and he came to me and said 'I see Binodini here.' That was very good.
Q. Will you do more such films?
Ans. I see myself inclined towards cinema that offers me growth as an actor...At every point, I have taken up something that would make me push myself a little more. I do mix it up with one or two easier experiences, which you all might dub convetional commercial film. But for me, I need that as well, because I can't go from one intense experience to the next. It can't cheat with dialogues, I don't know the art of prompting. So it's like homework night and day.
Q. Is there ever a role you feel you can't do because you think 'I'm so beautiful, I won't fit in'.
Ans. I gauge my director's conviction, first, in approaching me...Take Monster. Charlize Theron, look at what she has done with playing the character of Aileen Wuornos. It's just the director's vision as to how much he wants to push with the visual...
Q. Also, you have international looks. An Indian face would be...
Ans. It is interesting that you shold say this, because look at the roles I have essayed. This is what Subhashji used to joke and say...having come from modelling, beauty pageant, and apparently because of light eyes, light hair and supposed fair skin...But if you see the kind of roles I have titled towards, I have strongly Indianised. Right from Iruwar, all the three Tamil Films, the Bengali films, the regional cinema...When it came to Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam, you couldn't get more Indian than that so early in my career. I was doing the sari roles.
At the time, a lot of the industry types, the media would ask me 'Don't you think these roles should come a little later in your carrer?'. And I would tell them, I like the film and I would love to be a part of it. I am not looking at the sticking by these safe routes to take as an actor. If I am getting this now, as opposed to what was almost convetional-for people to wait for eight years after commercial cinema to do these kind of roles-why say no?
Q. You are also becoming international. Are you the first geniune crossover star?
Ans. I don't know. All these adages are there but I am not the first, techinically
no. We all know that. I have just done one English and until I do more, lets hold our horses. In my first film, again, I am playing an Indian...This whole idea of working in the west, it's not for greener pastures.
Q. If this international thing picks up, will we lose you?
Ans. No. None of you asked that when I did a Tamil film, when I did a Bengali film, so I don't see a reason why that should change. Aisi koi baat nahin. Yeh sab, this is a perception. It's not mine.
Q. Is ka answer Hindi main,to Hollywood mein, to Hollywood mein koi nahin sunega.
Ans. Nahin, nahin...I swear I didn't think about it, it just happened...Don't make it look like I plan everything, i don't. I'd be happy to contribute to the Indian persona on the international platform, that's bascially it. Because actually it's tricky, I am safety cacooned here in the luxury of-apparently, like you said-I have roles I can choose. It's a comfort Zone.
Q. You can also pretty much write own pay cheque! You are known to drive a hard bargain.
Ans. Really? Oh God, is that the reputation that preceeds me? I am a professional and that's it. If I am working as a professional in an industry, then it's good to be regarded as one, right?
Q. How come male stars have such a headstart over women in Indian cinema? I have asked your peers, and no one has till now said to me, 'I am going to change it'.
Ans. You want me to say that. Will it be highly sensational?...But I don't think you need a statement to reiterate that. Doing that, in the conduct or manner in which you work, should be statement enough.
Q. But do you ever feel the glass ceiling when you are negotiating?
Ans. I am not negotiating on terms of being comparative to my male counterpart. I really work as a professional would work.
Q. The James Bond story? Was there story or not?
Ans. Supposedly there was a representative who came down to India to meet me, along with a couple of advertising proposals. By the time they reached Nasik, I had met accident. So I never really got to meet them. But the press did get to know about it...And after that , we never pursued any kind of talk.
Q. It is also said that you drew the line very firmly in terms of...
Ans. I was generally asked that question. It was generally asked that question. It was not pertaining specifically to the Bond film. I was generally asked about my comfort zone. Now when you talk about drawing the line, the way I have drawn the line at various phases of my life, it as been very clear about my comfort zone, Obviously that does change from time to time, with experience.
Q. You see no reason now make compromises, for Hollywood...?
Ans. I evidently have never done that. I see no reason to do anything to make any alternative statement. In the film Chaos, I would be playing a Prostitute, and it's a very gritty story. But when the time comes to it, I will work with the director as to how she can achieve what she has to, and how I can work on it, bearing in mind my comfort zone. I am sure we can work that out together.
Q. How many Years before we win a real moscar? Where is the gap? In technique, in storyline?
Ans. I am not someone who can make these huge statement because, I am sorry, If I make these statement, my industry would be disappointed.
Q. But Why have you been losing your cool with journalists lately...on anything that concerns your personal life?
Ans. Don't accuse me of losing my cool...It's not about losing my cool. It's about being very liberal with my opinions. On one level, media questions you about pretanse. They ask you, 'Are you pretending to be this personality? Is this a venner going to crack?'. When you actually share your opinion, they start becoming, 'Oh, my God, has it upset this person, or are you losing your cool?'. But the fact is that I have just always been myself.
I have always maintained my personal life to be precisely that, personal. And I don't see any reason to alter or change that with time...And I have to, then my autobiography could be worth reading when it be written.
Q. What is it that you read? What makes you happy? Angry? Is it Bush invading Iraq?
Ans. Well, I wish I'd read more. I don't read more. I hardly read in fact. What I probably read maximum is scripts.
Q. What would you want to read?
Ans. Just all those incredible books and novels, there is so much.
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