Commercial films can afford a superstar like me

"I am a big fan of Rohit Shetty"

I have chosen to be in Singham Returns because it's a Rohit Shetty film. I am a big fan of Rohit. He's the Manmohan Desai of the current generation. He's fantastic. Which actress would not want to be part of his film? He has given me two of my career's biggest hits (Golmaal Returns and Golmaal 3). The third one is on the way. He has given me a good role in Singham Returns. The character of Avni has been written especially for me. I'm doing comedy and it's difficult. I have spoken fluent Marathi in the movie, which I picked up on the set.

"Angelina Jolie is also part of actioners"

Hope Singham Returns becomes bigger and better in terms of story, dialogue... A sequel should be bigger. Even in Hollywood you still have Angelina Jolie or Keira Knightly being part of action-packed movies. Just because it's an actioner, doesn't mean the heroine doesn't have anything to do. It also requires patience, tolerance and talent on your part to be part of this kind of film.

"I love masala films"

Whether it was Amar Akbar Anthony, Dostana or Kalia, the commercial dramas had heroines like Parveen Babi and Zeenat Aman. Even in the commercial fares like Golmal 3, Bodygaurd or Ra.One, I still had much to do. Bodyguard was a love story between Salman and me. I enjoy doing commercial films. I get paid well. I have no complaints. Because it's a big budget film, they can afford me. If they have taken a superstar, they can afford to pay me too.

"Ajay is one of the finest actors"

Ajay is a natural actor. Besides he's a wonderful person. He's a dear friend of mine, my family's too. I have known him since Rohit was an assistant on a Ajay-Karisma (Kapoor) film called Suhag. So our relationship goes back to more than 22 years. He's family. We chill, we chat. I take his advice on many things. Our bond is beyond films.

"Comparisons are boring"

What works for another actress might not work for me. What works for me may not work for someone else. Every actor is different. I couldn't have been part of The Dirty Picture. I don't have the courage or boldness for that. But for me it's a challenge to be part of a film like Golmaal. It's an honour to be part of Singham Returns. It's unfair to comment on others. Comparisons are boring."

"Films are never a mistake"

I've been a pioneer in doing certain kind of films. Be it Chameli, Dev and Omkara. Despite being a recognised commercial actress, I did it. But at this stage I will not do a film just because it's different. Only if the story is good will I do it. Till then I am happy doing commercial films. I don't have to prove anything. I did them because I needed to balance myself as an artiste. I was 21 when I played a prostitute in Chameli. I played it again in Talaash. In my long span, I played a prostitute twice. My mother-in-law Sharmila Tagoreji also played a prostitute in Amar Prem and Mausam in a span of 13 years. I have done many films for friends. Now I want to do them for the sake of the story. But I have no regrets. For me a film's never a mistake. I always think from my heart.