Esha Deol tells us that when she flaunted her bikini, it worked in her favor in Dhoom.

Q. You have never been media savvy like your mother Hema Malini!
A. I have always maintained a very low profile as an actor because basically I am a bit of an introvert and hence prefer not to be accessible to the media though it should not be misconstrued as me being not media-savvy.

Q. How tough was it to play an air hostess in your recent release Hijack?
A. It is for the first time that I played the role of an air hostess in a film. I feel that being an air hostess is as good as being Miss India, because of the kind of grooming and training that they have to undergo. You have to be elegant and cannot afford to lose your temper on an annoying passenger.

Q. Did you do any home work to get into the skin of your character?
A. My director Kunal Shivdasani was my reference point for me, as far as inputs were concerned.

Besides Kunal, I used to make it a point to stare at the air hostesses whenever I was flying, to the point of even making them get amused and even wonder what I was up to, because I do not have a friend who is an air hostess who could have briefed me.

Q. In what way do you think your character is unusual in Hijack?
A. There is absolutely no romantic track between Shiny Ahuja and me.

It is indeed very refreshing change from the stereo typed commercial Hindi cinema that I do not fall in love with Shiny and he also does not even dream about me.

I would say that the story is the real hero of the film, not Shiny or me. I did not play an under cover Ninja air hostess who gets into kicks and karate stuff and hence there was no need for me to do any action in then film.

Q. Name at least five films which according to you are the best in your repertoire?
A. I have always liked doing intense roles like in Darling and Ankahee. Yuva, Ankahee, Darling and Dhoom are what I'd say the four best films in my career.

Q. Why are you still single and as yet unattached?
A. I suppose every daughter looks for a bit of her dad in every man that she comes across. That greed is there still in me.

Unfortunately I think they do not make men like my dad any more. As far as my Mr Right is concerned, instead of opting for an arranged marriage, I would not mind living with a guy for two years and marrying him after I know him for what he is.

Q. Will you be able to convince your parents about living in with your boy friend?
A. My mother is quite practical and she would not mind, though I cannot say the same thing about my dad too.

Q. Tell us about your growth as an actor over the years!
A. Frankly I feel I was very oblivious to a lot of things about me earlier and I have learnt by trail and error method as an actor.

I think I have matured quite a lot now and am more spontaneous now. At one time the industry used to call me a brat. I had started at the age of 18 and was enjoying parties.

Now when I sit back and think, I feel I should have waited because I was like a kacchha limbu in the beginning because my back ground was protected but now I have become mature and wiser.

Q. In what way have you changed?
A. Earlier I used to say yes to every offer but now I have learnt to sift and sort out. In fact I would say that in have changed my perspective towards the kind of work that I do now.

I have become more selective. In any case since different layers of films are being made now, after working with a young new director like Kunal Shivdasani, I am now looking forward to working with younger directors like Shriram Raghavan.

Q. Did your hot bikini avatar work in your favor in Dhoom?
A. You bet my bikini worked in my favor and it worked. I have always been frank enough to say that if you have it you should flaunt it the right way. In any case, I think that today every other actress is sexy and hot.

Q. What do you think has gone wrong with your career?
A. The choices that I made as far as my career were wrong. I have always gone by my instinct when I choose a role. I expected a lot from cash but what can one do when things go wrong?

I wanted a break because I wanted to look at myself in the perspective of an outsider and get a breather. I did a course in Russian ballet and came back to IndiA.

Q. Is there any film of yours on the floors as of now?
A. I am working in PVR Pictures Exchange Offer in which I have been teamed opposite Rahul Bose. It is a light film with Shivam Nair as the director, about a contemporary young couple. Om Puri has also been cast in a very pivotal role in the same film

Q. Have you seen Bobby Deol's Chamku? Do you voice your criticism against his or Sunny's performance or comment about their films at any time?
A. How can I? Both Sunny bhaiya and Bobby bhaiya are senior to me. I tell them when I like their films or their performance, but never dare to criticize them at any time.

Q. Are there any plans of reviving your mum's banner?
A. Yes. Mom is keen on reviving her H.M Creations. Though she had decided to take a break after making Dil Aashna Hai and Mohini, because times were not conducive to filmmaking, now that several corporate companies have jumped into the fray, we are looking at a lot of scripts.