Her English is still as shaky as it was when 25 years ago, Kiranjit Ahluwalia became a cause-celebre in Britain after she set her abusive husband on fire.

But her spirit remains undoused. In the news for Provoked, the film that recreates the horrific events that led to her shocking behaviour, Kranjit strikes you as being surprisingly normal.

"After what has happened to me, my life can never be normal," she corrects my assessment of her situation.

"Of course what's happening to me is unbelievably heartening—the support for my plight from women's groups and sisters in Britain and all over the world a book on my case and now film....

But the wounds will never heal. How can I be normal? What pleases me is that my two sons are doing well. They're in university now. And that makes me forget a lot of the pain I've suffered."

How does it feel to be suddenly at the vortex of all this media attention ? "Quite frankly when I co-wrote the book Circle Of Light (with Rahila Gupta) it was a story that had to be told...

When it happened I thought I had said whatever I had to. I never expected someone to make a movie about my life. Provoked came as a a pleasant shock. I wasn't prepared for it.

When I heard Aishwarya Rai is going to play my character I was very pleased. Of course I had seen her films, like Devdas. She's so beautiful and such a good actress."

Kiranjit admits she wasn't as closely involved with the making of Provoked as she was with the writing of the book.

"But the idea of making a film on domestic violence and about what happened to me seemed good to me. I'm glad that the film has been made.

Hopefully my story will help women like me caught trapped in such situations to come out and let the world know their plight. You're a journalist.

I want you to tell the world that women who have suffered like me need not feel it's the end of the world for them. That there's hope."

She pauses and then reflects on her long journey from innocence to alleged crime to martyrdom and now movie-made stardom. "Sometimes I think how could a girl from a village in Punjab have come so far. It's all destiny."

When I ask her if she would ever consider remarriage Kiranjit displays unexpected spunk and humour.

"After what I've done do you think any man would want to marry me? No man can trust me and I can trust no man.

It isn't as if I've been put off men for life, or that I think they're all bad. My brother, my brother-in-law are decent men and devoted husbands. I don't know why this had to happen to me."

She admits her life has taken a turn for the better now. "Maybe they will make Provoked Part 2 about what's happening to me now."

And the laughter makes you forget this is a woman who has suffered the most nightmarish and inhuman provocation imaginable.