Simone Singh AT - New pics, AD + EHT reunion pg 88-90 - Page 11

You've seen her dimple in the Lakme cleanser ad., her serene demeanour and endurance in the serial Heena on Sony, and her social amity in Saare Jahaan Se Accha on Zee. Beautiful and talented with an equally attractive voice, Simone Singh has won the hearts of TV viewers across the country.

She's different though. Unlike other actresses who grab offers right, left and centre, Simone, according to her own admission is, "paranoid about accepting new projects. I don't want to take up anything and everything that comes my way and make my profession a tedious chore. I want my interest in what I do to be alive and fresh" (a refreshing break from the mill-of-the-grind appearances of so many other actors and actresses). And true to her word, Simone has been very selective about her work. After her debut on TV with A Mouthful of Sky nearly five years ago, she took a break of nearly eight months, though swamped with offers, before taking up a UTV production which, unfortunately, hasn't yet been aired.

It's as Heena, the wronged wife in the serial of the same name that Simone has found sympathisers and admirers in hordes. "Of course, I'm not like the girl whom I play in the serial but it's not very difficult portraying her. In life, you come across people with different attributes, and you observe them and learn. Naturally, there are times when I don't agree with the director and then we sit and discuss. It's nearly a year since we have been working and the involvement and rapport amongst the entire unit is fabulous."She finds it equally interesting playing a host in Saare Jahaan Se Accha a serial of ordinary people who have done extraordinary things.

Though she hasn't had any formal training in acting, surprisingly, she wasn't nervous when she faced the camera for the first time, "I was very comfortable," she says, "and, luckily, the audiences too seemed to have liked me." Endearing herself to others seems to be Simone's hallmark. A trait which she had ever since childhood. "I was an outgoing, extremely popular and a lovable child. Naughty, but loveably so," she reminisces. But like all other children she had her moment of metamorphosis. "I discovered the joys of reading when I was seven." A habit which she pursues even now. The actress is currently reading three books simultaneously and she hasn't strait-jacketed herself where printed word is concerned. Fiction, philosophy, biographies... she reads them all. "I'm an eclectic reader," she summarises.

From a school girl in Jamshedpur, and later in Bangalore, to a working girl in Delhi and the popular actress in Mumbai, Simone has traversed quite a distance. "Luckily for me, things have come easy. I never had to run after them. When I was working in Delhi (a city and job which I didn't favour much) a childhood friend who was working in the television industry in Mumbai recommended me for A Mouthful... And that set the wheels rolling. I even got quite a few film offers but I was very sure that I didn't want to do films just then. Now it's different." But having made a mark on the small screen, Simone won't just grab any silver screen offers that might come her way. "I will choose and select," but not stay too busy.

Simone's days are of two categories. One, the working days and the other, non-working days. "When I work I put in really long hours and on my non-working days I take things easy. I like to have time for myself 12-15 free days a month." Which means she wakes up late, reads, watches her own serials, the National Geographic Channel and Star World on TV and cooks. "I recently took to cooking," she says and claims that she can cook all kinds of food but her specialties are the Italian and Goan cuisine. "Cooking is creative, therapeutic and relaxing," she says.

And for all those who envy her trim figure and glowing skin, there's a surprise. "I never workout or diet. I just eat sensibly."

Apart from television and her hobbies there's one other thing that Simone feels strongly about animals. "I love them. We have a number of dogs at home. My mother also feeds the stray dogs and cats."

Back to work, viewers will soon see Simone in a serial called Tum Pukar Lo which should be aired end of August or early September on DD Metro. "It's a story of two people who fall in love and realise they have lost sight of the reasons they fell in love for. It's a new story and well presented and I'm looking forward to its airing," she says. However, she doesn't believe in planning for the future. She prefers to live in the present. "I like to think that I must be good at what I'm doing and that's why people watch me. There's no reason for me to plan for anything different."

-- VARSHA SHENOY

Copyright 2000 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.