Kareena Kapoor tells Jyothi Venkatesh on the eve of the release of her latest film ‘3 idiots', that Aamir Khan is the Emperor of Bollywood

Kareena Kapoor plays a very strong role in ‘3 idiots'. As she puts it succinctly, it is dynamically different from what she had played in ‘Kurbaan'.

"I play the role of Piya, a headstrong girl, who trains to be a doctor. In fact, I'd go even to the extent of stating that Piya of ‘3 idiots' is more real than even Geet of ‘Jab We Met' and when you set out to watch Piya in ‘3 idiots' you will even forget that it is Kareena Kapoor that you are watching on the screen. The father-daughter relationship in ‘3 idiots' is seen to be believed. Boman Irani plays my father."

Kareena admits that she has not read the book ‘Five Point Someone' written by Chetan Bhagat. "In any case, though Vidhu Vinod Chopra has officially bought the right to the book, Raju has written quite a different script for the film and ‘3 idiots' is not entirely based on the book but a take off from that in Raju Hirani style.

Yes. The basic premise has of course been maintained but the characters, the situations and the end are quite different. In fact, there is just a five per cent similarity between the book and what you see on the screen".

According to Kareena, the campus and the classroom setting for ‘3 idiots' are the only things that remain true to the book and everything else is entirely different, because the film has a very original plot, which is inspired from the book and not based on the book.

Kareena adds, "What is interesting about ‘3 idiots' is that I am the only girl in the film though there are three boys- Aamir Khan, Sharman Joshi and R. Madhavan. ‘3 idiots' is like ‘Inglourious Basterds' or for that matter ‘The Bell'.

Every actor wants to be a part of good cinema. I do not think that a film like ‘3 idiots', in which Aamir Khan and Raju Hirani are together, is something which one can get to see every now and then because it is a very rare film and I am happy that I am a part of it".

Kareena says that she met Aamir for the first time when she went with Karisma to the location shooting of ‘Raja Hindustani'.

"What can I possibly say about an actor like Aamir? Aamir is a cinematic genius and a one man University as far as acting is concerned. I feel that every actor's journey is incomplete without working with an actor of the caliber of Aamir Khan. Aamir Khan is the emperor of Bollywood and without any hesitation, I would even go to the extent of stating that ‘3 idiots' is a milestone in my career as an actress".

Kareena feels that like ‘Kurbaan', ‘3 idiots' also will definitely change the face of Indian Cinema to a large extent, because both ‘Kurbaan' and ‘3 idiots' have soul in them.

"Unlike ‘Kurbaan' where the character of Avantika that I played had to relate to her pain in a subdued way, since it was very subtle, Piya of ‘3 idiots' is dynamically different", Kareena quips, as a matter of fact.

Kareena also gushes about her director Rajkumar Hirani. "Raju is such a great man. He is even a greater writer and director.

After my grand father who used to show simplicity in all his films it is now only Raju Hirani who is somewhere nearer his league. There's a smile and tear when Raju sets out to tell his story. I feel blessed and lucky that I have had good directors all through my career, whether it be Imtiaz Ali in ‘Jab We Met' or Rensil D'Silva in ‘Kurbaan' or for that matter Raju Hirani in ‘3 idiots'.

I am now quite excited to be working with Kajol in Karan Johar's next film directed by Siddharth Malhotra, which is an official remake of ‘Stepmom' with Arjun Rampal."

According to Kareena, the five best films of her career are ‘Refugee', ‘Chameli', ‘Omkara', ‘Jab We Met' and last but not the least ‘Kurbaan'.

"I am happy with whatever growth that I have achieved over the years in the film industry from the time that I had made my debut as an actress with ‘Refugee' but I have always felt that I should keep on growing more and more. We actors are like scientists, who keep on working with different experiments.

Some experiments work while some do not. Some times I do a film for the sake of emotion or relationship like I did ‘Main Aurr Mrs Khanna' but I do not regret a decision of mine even if the film flops, like ‘Main Aurr Mrs Khanna' or for that matter ‘Kurbaan' did."