Watching her play Ayesha Kapoor's ravaged mother in Sanjay Leela Bhansali's "Black", you wonder where the petite and powerful Shernaz Patel had been hiding all these years.

"Nowhere!" she laughs. "I just didn't pursue cinema. I've been in theatre for a long time. I can't believe the kind of recognition that's come my way after 'Black'."

Shernaz was chosen by the casting director on the basis of her work in theatre and the ad she did for Johnson & Johnson. "That ad was on for years and years. So even though I've done just one ad people believe it's many. Then I auditioned for Sanjay, and that was it!"

Years ago in the 1980s, Shernaz was seen in soaps like "Khandaan" and "Naqaab" on national television and also in Mahesh Bhatt's "Janam" opposite Kumar Gaurav.

"That was so long ago. 'Janam' was the first telefilm on national television. So technically I had never seen myself on the big screen before 'Black'. I belong to a theatre family. I was heavily into theatre, and happy with it. I never pursued cinema. And frankly I didn't fit into the kind of cinema that was being made in the 1980s and 1990s. It's only now that the whole concept of crossover cinema has caught on," tells Shernaz in an interview.

"I guess I can fit in better now. The screen mom doesn't have to make gajar ka halwa. She can make cakes if she wants."

Shernaz says she had some trouble getting into the discipline of cinema as opposed to theatre. "It took me a few days to get used to basic rules of being on camera. At the end of it, I was full of praise for a film crew. The conditions that they work under! We were dressed in woollens in a sultry studio pretending it was snowing outside.

"It requires a lot of concentration to be truthful on camera. Sanjay demands and requires full attention. Otherwise the discipline between the two mediums isn't that different. Nowadays theatre, too, is performed before intimate audiences. That transitional pang doesn't exist any more."

Shernaz isn't really old enough to play Hrithik Roshan's mom.

"God forbid! The child in 'Black' (Ayesha Kapoor) was just right for me... and 'Black' was a blessing. I never thought I was doing anything but what the role required. The working atmosphere on Sanjay's set was such that an actor had to give the best. He demands only the best from his entire cast and crew. I did my very best. Sanjay is a brilliant director. I can't compare him with others because I haven't worked with anyone else."

Shernaz conveys the mother's agony in 'Black' so well that it comes as a surprise to know she's single in real life.

"But there's a maternal instinct in every woman. I don't think an actress needs to be a mother to react to a little girl who's so in need of a mother's care. Besides, Sanjay made us watch a whole lot footage pertaining to the deaf and blind. For any mother to cope with such tragedy...

"For a mother to realise that such a child comes from her is such a complex emotion to deal with. My part was beautifully written. And beautifully shot. I may not have much to say. But I've my space. I owe it all to Sanjay. There aren't any words to describe his brilliance."

Shernaz lights up at the mention of her co-stars. "Ayesha Kapoor and I clicked immediately. It wasn't hard playing her mother at all. We got along like a house on fire. It was very painful to say goodbye to her at the end of the shooting. As for Amitji (Amitabh Bachchan), of course I'm completely in awe of him. I was shivering through every shot during my first few days.

"But I had to overcome that. Finally we had to portray our characters. And he was of immense help in getting me relaxed. He never brought his super-persona on the sets. He was Debraj from the word go. He likes to rehearse. And I come from theatre where rehearsal is sacrosanct. I had to forget I was acting with THE superstar of India to be able to play my character. And Amitji helped me with that. Really, the atmosphere on the sets was amazingly conducive to creativity."

Will "Black" be a new 'janam' (life) for Shernaz? "I sure hope so. If it happens I'm blessed. If it doesn't happen I'll move on. Success has a lot to do with luck. I'll just let my work speak for itself. If proper work comes my way I'd gladly like to do it."