Bollywood actress Amrita Rao, who struck gold with her girl-next-door look in "Vivah", is back after a year-long gap with "My Name Is Anthony Gonsalves". She says that she doesn't take any chances while selecting projects.

"I was working for the Telugu film 'Athidhi'. Also, my films, which are slated for release this year, kept me occupied," Amrita told.

"I have always been very careful about picking up projects because there is no second chance in Bollywood. If you go wrong with a movie you have to pay a very heavy price.

"I must say I am very selective. But I wouldn't deny being fortunate as good projects came my way. Otherwise, I would have just dreamt about doing something different," she said on her recent visit to the national capital.

The actress, who is essaying the role of an assistant director in "My Name...", started her stint in the film industry with "Ab Ke Baras". She earned rave reviews for her performance in films like "Masti" and "Main Hoon Na".

Commenting about her Telugu film industry experience, Amrita said: "It was wonderful to do well there, as it is a male-dominated industry.

"It was a different and interesting experience. For instance, it was challenging to emote the right way on dialogues whose meaning I didn't fully understand."

Amrita is upbeat about her forthcoming projects, which include "Victoria", "Shortcut" and national award winning director Shyam Benegal's "Mahadev".

The versatile star said she would love to do art house movies and finds it an opportunity of a lifetime to work with Benegal.

"I would love to do arty roles. However, Benegal doesn't only make art films... 'Zubeidaa' was a commercial film. It is just that his films have a strong story line and less songs and dances."

"I always wanted to work with him. Nothing could have been better than this opportunity."

Reluctant to divulge any details, Amrita said: "'Mahadev' is a character-driven film where the character I play speaks with a particular north Indian accent."