by Subhash K Jha
3 years ago Saakshi left behind a very lucrative career down South to try her hand in Hindi films. Among the films she signed here was Tum , directed by E. Niwas with Saif Ali Khan and Aftab Shivdasani.

"I was terrified when the producer turned out to be from the underworld. I had everybody telling me that the underworld connection in Bollywood was very strong. I completely freaked out. I ran off to do Telugu and Kannada films.... Then I had Mr Shatrughan Sinha's brother Lakhan Sinha call me up to do a film with Govinda called Jahan Jayega Humein Payega . I knew Govinda . We kept running into one another in the South. I wanted to work with thorough professionals. I've done 40 films in Telugu Tamil and Kannada. They're always so professional. I wanted to get into the groove in Bollywood through a similar set-up. I don't regret doing Jahan Jayega .... Govinda still rocks."

Saakshi and her sister Shilpa are both in showbiz. "My sister is a model. My dad is Mangalorian and my mom is a hardcore Sadarni...I started when I was 15 straight out of Class 10. I've got to work with the best people. Govinda is such a surprise. In the South I had a language barrier with top heroes like Chiranjeevi and Upendra."

Incidentally there was a rumour about her involvement with the top Kannnada star Upendra. "Oh that was just a joke between us. He proposed to me and I said no. He's now married with two kids. I now feel safe working with him."

Going back-and-forth between Bollywood and the South suits Saakshi fine. "If I hadn't freaked out after the brush with the underworld I'd have continued here. But I ran away from the Hindi industry. I was really shaken up. The Tum producer would call up...I had to change my number. No one knew where I was. That experience cost me my career in Hindi cinema. Prior to that I had done Anubhav Sinha's Aapko Pehle Bhi Kahin Dekha . Though it wasn't a hit I was noticed."

Jahan Jaiyega Humein Paiyega hardly looks like the right vehicle for a Hindi comeback. "I believe in destiny. I've a thriving career down South. Last year I got nominated for best actress in National award for Sainika in Kannada. I was disqualified because I didn't dub for the film. It's strange ...but in South if you are glamorous you aren't expected to perform. I was slotted as a glam-girl in the South for quite a while."

Saakshi has a wacked- out sense of humour. She recalls how her first hero in a particular language was caught dabbing lipstick for a take. "I thrive on seeing the lighter side of this profession . I'm embarrassed by my lack of a personal life. I've just been working and working. And I never want to marry an actor. After working with them you lose respect for them because they've no respect for women. I can't find one committed guy in show -world. I could write a screenplay based on my experiences in Hindi, Tamil, Telugu and Kannada cinema. For a girl to last for 8 years down South is no joke. After doing glam roles I stopped accepting roles and switched to performing parts. I did a Kannada remake of Viraasat with Upendra."

Says Saakshi, "The last two years have made me realize films cannot be all there's to my life. I need a life. But films have taught me so much. No friend of mine has learnt so much about life. For instance in the South they believe they're the best, even better than Bollywood.It could be reversed snobbery. But that's how it is. Out there they were initially hostile to me. They'd call me a 'bombaywali'. Later I was accepted by them. Now I find myself facinga similar struggle in Mumbai. But life is beautiful.... The South and Hindi film industries are so similar except that films made much faster there."