After her first solo album, ghazal singer Sunali Rathod now wants to act in films.

Movies were very much on the agenda, admitted the gorgeous Sunali who has been singing for years with her husband Roop Kumar Rathod and earlier this week released her first solo "This Is Me Sunali" in the capital.

Talking about her album, a fusion of Indian classical and western music, she said: "This is my first solo album. I wanted to sing something new and different. I was tired of the monotony in the music I was singing. Asha tai (Asha Bhosle) gave me this brilliant idea of recording an album with Leslie Lewis."

"The idea excited me and I immediately contacted Leslie to collaborate with me on the album. Knowing my ghazal background, he was quite surprised but agreed to take on the project," she added.

Before coming up with her first solo, which targets the youth, Sunali had churned several successful albums with her husband - "Mohabbat Ho Gayi Hai", "Mitwa'" and "Sun Zara" to name a few.

The classical trained singer has not only moved from ghazals to pop in her new album, but has also undergone a glamorous makeover - from her traditional ethnic look to black gowns in the music video of the album.

"As a child, I was interested in western music too, and I wanted to give a new look to my singing for the young generation," said Sunali.

"It took me one-and-a-half years to complete this album. I went to London to understand the western music - I listened to live jazz and pop music. I also took inspiration from Jennifer Lopez and Madonna."

"It's been a wonderful experience making this album and I will always cherish it. I have put in a lot of hard work - joined the gym and controlled my diet to look good and refreshing," she said.

There are seven songs in the album and Mehboob has penned the lyrics. Sunali's own favourite is "Chota sa dil yeh hamara".