After her mega Bollywood launch opposite a superstar, Daisy Shah struggled to get a foothold in the industry. But it has been worth her while as she awaits the release of her next flick, the erotic thriller Hate Story 3.

The girl has shed her inhibitions along with some kilos and has upped her glamour quotient and confidence to come into her own. By the actress' own admission, she was initially apprehensive about "kissing a stranger on screen," but she effortlessly slipped into her new avatar. Excerpts:

You seem to have shed weight. We hear that Salman Khan lent you his trainer...

On the weighing scale, I have hardly lost four to five kilos, but I have lost a lot of inches. I have been working with Salman's trainer Rakesh for two years now, but this time around, he pushed me harder in terms of diet and workout.

How do you define your equation with Salman? Is he your 2am friend?

I am fortunate enough to have that kind of access to him, but I won't take advantage of this fact. Salman can be a mentor, teacher, friend and Hitler, depending on the situation. He dons different roles for those he likes. But if I know he is sleeping at 2am, I won't call him (laughs).

Was it difficult to portray a bold character in this film?

Anyone can pull off the girl-next-door role, but characters like these test your abilities. I was sceptical because I felt that I was not mentally ready and even my body wasn't ready to pull this off. To add to that, I had to kiss a stranger on screen.I convinced myself after seeking advice from my trusted ones. My cast and crew made me comfortable while enacting the bold scenes for the song. It was shot towards the end of the schedule, and that helped as my co-stars and I had bonded by then. I was so engrossed in my character, I wasn't Daisy anymore.

So, are you more comfortable with your body now?

I was comfortable with it even inJai Ho, as the role didn't require me to look svelte with toned abs and arms. Having said that, if I had that kind of a figure, it would have looked good. But it's never too late. I am a foodie and had to give up on junk food for five months and the results are showing. I second that abs are made in the kitchen and not at the gym.

How did your family react to your intimate scenes?

I hail from a progressive Gujarati family. In fact, my mother and I catch up on Hollywood films together. When I showed her the trailer of my movie, she felt that it was aesthetically shot. She said, So, where is the problem? ''We are all adults. And what else do you wear other than a bra while dancing?

Have you set any boundaries when it comes to boldness?

As seen in the trailer, Zareen (Khan) and I have gone all out. This is the zero point for me and one can't show anything beyond this. Bollywood has its own limitations. The era of drawing two flowers closer as a reference to lovemaking is passe. Today, you can't fake it and people keep things more real. We get to see such scenes in several other movies, but it's just that our film is termed as an erotic thriller.