They say Art imitates life and no one can understand it better than Jessica Choksi. Once a professional sex worker Jessica took up modelling to make both ends meet. When she agreed to play body double for Manisha Koirala in Ek Chhotisi Love Story, little did she know that her life is about to change. The film hit the headlines with it's controversial scenes and Jessica shot to the limelight with her bare act.
"My father passed away when I was very young and I had few options to look after my mother and brothers. After those painful years in Mumbai's red light area, I turned to modelling and was eventually offered 'Ek Chhotisi Love Story' by Shashilal Nair. I had no misgivings about acting as Manisha's body double since the director promised to keep my identity secure. It's quite another matter that the film was dragged to court and all hell broke loose. I got more publicity than I had ever bargained for. After that I decided to accept whatever offers came my way," she says.
The news at the moment is that Jessica has bagged a film called 'Chot: Aaj Isko, Kal Tere Ko' in which she'll be playing a prostitute. Directed by Nabh Kumar Raju, it is another underworld drama. She is confident of her good show in the film due to her better insight into the flesh trade. "Having lived the life, I can empathise with the character. The film has a three minute sequence where actor Ganesh Jadhav enters my room and we have sex. While this no-holds-barred look into a prostitute's life against the backdrop of a bloody gang war is sure to offend many, I feel it's time we were less squeamish about the issues facing our society. I enjoyed doing the film and hope audiences have as much of a good time seeing it." she quips.