The small town girl
It feels nice when people say that I have done justice to the role of Vidya. I had played the small town girl role before in Aisha, but my character in Kai Po Che was so different from that of Shefali in Aisha. Unlike Shefali, who was a complete behenji, Vidya was smart and aggressive.
She knew how to utilise her tuition time (winks). I would be bored if I always played the Mumbai girl. I enjoy the process of getting into different characters and roles, and these films offered me that chance. As an actor, I crave for more versatility.
Wooing the parents
My parents were totally against my decision to join films. It took me a couple of years to convince them. However, once they gave me the nod they were totally supportive. They always wanted me to do an MBA. My brother is a double MBA (laughs out loud).
My parents always stressed on education. I am a post-graduate in Mass Communications and have worked for a year in an advertising agency. But after working for a year in an ad firm, I told my parents that I just couldn't do it (smiles).
Leaving my impact
I have done only three films so far, and I have got recognised for two of them. I want to do character-driven films that leave an impact on people's mind. The masala genre is not exactly my cup of tea.
It was a humbling moment when actors and directors like Hrithik Roshan and Vikramaditya Motwane told me that I had done a good job. My dream is to be remembered for my roles for generations to come (looks up wishfully).
The learning curve
As an actor, I am very pro-homework. I have directors like Anurag Basu, Tigmanshu Dhulia, Bejoy Nambiar, Habib Faisal and others on my wish-list, and I know that I have to do good work to work with them. I am really glad that I got a chance to work with Raj Kumar Yadav, who is such a brilliant student of cinema. I learnt so much by just observing him.