Kolaveri Girls

I Look Younger Than Shahid

You sure kept the audience waiting for long…
Well, it hasn’t been long. Soon after my last film, Thoda Pyaar Thoda Magic, I got busy with Dil Bole Hadippa. Since I was playing a cricketer, I had to train in the game for six months before
shooting. In fact, Dil Bole… was ready by March, but the multiplex strike posed a hurdle. In a way, I see it as a boon as the film is now set for release on Mahalaya, an auspicious day. I hope and pray that it brings luck. So, you see, I’ve been working all through. I seriously need a break now.
And how essential is it for you, as an actor, to break the stereotype and spring back in a new avatar?
As an actor, it’s very important to reinvent myself. This time around, the script had all the scope. It’s probably the first time that a heroine will be playing a cricketer. And definitely, this is the first time that I play a Sardar boy. I didn’t want people to say that she essayed the role of a cricketer just for the heck of it. Hence, I toned my body to look like a cricketer. By the end of it all, my body had toned so beautifully that it was suggested I flaunt my body in the music video.
How difficult was attaining this toned look?
I was into yoga and weight training. I zipped my mouth. It’s been long since I have gorged on machher jhol and rosogolla. Frankly, I wanted to look the part and get my cricket right. Earlier, I wasn’t too much into the game. But thanks to Dil Bole…, I’ve started enjoying the game much more and stopped annoying my dad with the silly cricketing questions that I used to ask.
Any cricketing favourites?
Sachin Tendulkar is my all-time favourite.
Apart from the new look in this film, your supposed bikini act is also generating a lot of buzz…
Sorry to disappoint you but I’ve not sported a bikini in this film. Instead I’ve worn a salwar with a bikini top.
Rani has always been termed sweet, bubbly, chirpy, warm but seldom have you been called sizzling or hot. Will Dil Bole…change all of that?
If people start finding me hot, it will be for the better. And certainly, I take it as a compliment.
Bollywood seems to have got over older heroines being paired opposite young heroes…
Shahid and me are probably the same age. It’s just that he started late and I entered the industry at 17. But let me tell you that I look younger than him (laughs).
Now that Bipasha has stepped into Tollywood, when do we get to see you in a Bengali venture?
I want to do something worth my while. Are the directors listening?