'One phone call, and I said YES' - Amrita Rao

How was it working with Shyam Benegal?

I got a call from Shyam Benegal's office saying he wanted to meet me. I was also informed that Mr Benegal only wanted me for the role. I was really excited. It was a dream come true. I was going to be a part of the big league actors who have been a part of Benegal's films ' Shabana Azmi, Rekha, Naseeruddin Shah, Smita Patil, Karisma Kapoor and the like. It took just one call from Shyamji for me to say 'yes'. I learnt so much from him. He would give us space for improvisation. I also got to work with talented actors like Shreyas Talpade, Raajeshwari, Ravi Kissen, Ila Arun, Ravi Jhankal and Yashpal Sharma. Shyamji is undoubtedly one of the most sensible directors today. He was cool and fun to work with.

You play the role of an illiterate villager in Welcome to Sajjanpur. Tell us something about it...

It was something very different and something that I had never done before. I had to speak a different language ' the bundelkhandi dialect. It was not very difficult. Every evening I used to sit with the writer Ashok Mishra and rehearse my lines. When everyone used to party I was busy learning my lines so much so that it became a joke within the unit.

How was it working with Shreyas Talpade?

When I saw Iqbal, I cried and when I saw Dhol, I cried laughing. I have been a huge fan of Shreyas. You'll like him no matter what. As a performer, he is so spontaneous. He is extremely creative and that is his strongest quality.

You are a mainstream actor. Did you feel out of place?

No. Instead I learnt a lot from my co-stars.

Did you feel any change of approach from producers after My Name is Anthony Gonsalves?

I got a very positive response after Anthony. Everybody was happy with me.

Vivaah was your biggest hit. But you did not quite cash in on it. Why?

I was completely focused on this one South Indian film. I signed Short Cut before the release of Vivaah. My commitments with other films were delayed because of My Name'.

Lastly in your opinion what went wrong with My Name is Anthony Gonsalves?

It is difficult to point fingers at any one thing sitting here. Sometimes even the best efforts seem to fail. It depends on a lot of factors. Some liked the first half. For me being the part of the film, I was emotionally involved in it. I would just say that it was an earnest effort from E Niwas and sometime what we think works, does not necessarily work with the masses.