Asin admits that self-marketing could perhaps make her more visible in Bollywood

Three and a half years after her debut Hindi flick Ghajini, Asin has had only three releases — London Dreams, Ready and Housefull 2 — to her credit besides an upcoming film with Abhishek Bachchan and Ajay Devgan.

Having done scores of films in the South in Tamil, Telugu and Malayalam, Asin has strangely resorted to going slow in Bollywood and working with the same set of stars. When not shooting she prefers to be off the radar and away from prying eyes as she has "nothing to say"...

Maintaining a low-profile... is that the way you prefer?
I do generally prefer to be talked about only for my work. I think that is part of my personality. May be it also has to do with the fact that I am from the South, where self-marketing isn't inherently in the culture. So I do admit that PR is important and I suck at it!

You prefer to play safe rather than experiment with roles. Is that the reason people don't see you on the Hindi screen often?
I think it's not caution but preference. I do seem to have a soft spot for fun, emotional stories that appeal to the masses as it helps me reach out and connect to a large audience.

Therefore, I like doing mainstream cinema. But having said that I am looking for more fleshed out characters with scope for performance within the commercial format.



What is the criterion that determines the selection?
I think I have had the luxury of working at my own pace in fun projects. After having done 25 films across various film industries, I do want to do scripts I feel passionate about and have the potential.

Almost any established actor takes time in selecting film projects, and I guess I am in no way different. The factors that help me decide on choosing a project is the script and my character.

Then who is the director, producer and co-artistes. One may not get the best of all these all together in one movie, but one looks for the maximum of these factors before taking up a project.

In my forthcoming film with Abhishek Bachchan, I essay a very real character. Beyond this I can't say anything or the director Rohit (Shetty) will send his goons after me.

You have worked with Aamir Khan, Salman Khan, Ajay Devgn, Akshay Kumar and now Abhishek Bachchan. Don't you want to work with younger actors?
I have been very fortunate to have started in Bollywood with the superstars themselves. Working with Aamir, Salman, Ajay, Akshay, AB is many-a-girl's dream come true and it has been awesome. But yes, I am looking forward to working with male actors from my generation too. It would be fun.



You did a South film recently... do you feel you should do more such films?
I love to work in the South as that is where I started from — it is home. But I do have a body of work there and wouldn't want to repeat myself in terms of the kind of projects I take up.

That wouldn't be exciting for me or the audience. So I am waiting for something different and interesting to take up.

What do you do when not facing the camera?
My iPad keeps me busy and I am a voracious reader.