'Shahid and I? Excuse me:Amrita

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Amrita Rao. (TOI Photo) More pics

Amrita Rao tells NT about her role in the Kareena-Shahid-Saif love puzzle and her ongoing emotional tryst with MF Husain.

While her peers shed clothes at the first given opportunity, this petite gal stuck to her guns and brought the silver screen alive with her 'whiff of fresh air' kind of looks. Meet Amrita Rao, the girl next door, whose career is going great guns with producers like Shyam Benegal and Anil Kapoor making a beeline for her. And this muse of MF Husain has enamoured the celebrated painter to such an extent that he's constantly in touch with her, despite being in exile. Amrita reveals all the juicy details to NT.

On her link up with Shahid: "It's really weird! It all might have started because we did a couple of films together. I am sick of these silly rumours about me being the fourth angle in the Kareena-Shahid-Saif puzzle. People are asking me these questions and I am asking myself as to how these baseless rumours started. Shahid and I? Excuse me!"
On Shyam Benegal: 'I am currently shooting for Shyam Benegal's comedy Mahadev. I still remember that one phone call, which came months back, telling me that I was the chosen one for his project. I didn't ask about my role, the storyline, the money or dates and simply said yes. To be a part of an oeuvre, which had the likes of Smita Patil and Shabana Azmi, is a huge honour. I still feel breathless when I think about it."

On Husain and his calls: "The concept of a painter and his muse always fascinated me. Just after Vivah: A Journey From Engagement To Marriage, Husain saab told me that he wanted to paint me. He did more than 15 paintings of mine. The best part is that even though he's spending a lot of time in Dubai, he hasn't forgotten me. In fact, he calls me every other day. When people tell me that he tends to fall in love with his muse, I feel a thrill down my spine."

On exposure: "It feels great to know that I have made it here, without resorting to vulgarity. But I would now love to be known as a sensual actor. Whether I will do smooching scenes and show skin, will depend on how comfortable I am about these things, at that point of time. After all, thoughts change and people evolve."

On love and marriage: "I would love to be in love, but at this moment there's nobody in my life. Now when my career is poised at a very happening juncture and I am doing Anil Kapoor's next project Shortcut and some interesting big banner films, which will soon be announced, I can't even think about marriage."
On 'hautest' people: "Hrithik and Ash! Nobody gets 'hotter' than these two!"