Hrishita: Controversially yours!

Dancing has taken her places, literally. A demure Gujarati girl, Hrishita Bhatt was taking dancing lessons from choreographer Shiamak Davar, unaware that she had charmed some people from the advertising fraternity. Her cute smile got her the opportunity to feature in an ad for Liril soap, and things took off.

There were music videos and more advertisements, followed by a rather natural move to the big screen. First-time director Gurudev Bhalla cast her opposite Abhishek Bachchan in Shararat, after which she starred as Shah Rukh Khan's wife in his magnum opus Asoka.

We caught up with Bhatt to talk about what happens next.

What is Jigyaasa?

It is the story of an innocent girl who wants to make it big in Bollywood at any given cost. She discovers that using her body is the only way. Going against her values, she goes ahead and takes the step. She starts to believe that talent is not the thing, and that everything can be earned by sleeping around.

What is your role in the film like?

I play the protagonist, Jigyaasa Mathur, who enters the industry, suffers the agony of the casting couch and eventually takes revenge on those who exploited her.

Jigyaasa comes from a middle class family. She is the daughter of a schoolteacher Malini Mathur (Varsha Usgaonkar), an epitome of values and principles. It is the journey of a girl, based on some real life incidents, from nowhere to superstardom.

There has been a lot of controversy.

It is a bold subject that deals with hard-hitting topics. In our conventional society, even talking about such things is bound to generate debate. Therefore, it isn't surprising that people point fingers about the subject, the inspiration, the glam quotient, etc. I don't think there is any controversy attached so far.

The film is about all the gossip Bollywood news is made up of -- glamour, drugs, betrayal, gossip, politics, underworld finance, molestation, homosexuality, the casting couch, exploitation, false promises.

Will the movie discourage young talent from coming to Bollywood?

It is a movie -- one should remember that. Everything comes in a package. There are good and bad experiences. I am not saying something like that exists or not. I am just saying that the film should be enjoyed as a film.

Do you identify with it?

Of course not! It is a character I am playing. I do not identify with Jigyaasa at all.

Was working with your co-stars pleasant?

My relationship with co-actors Varsha Usgaonkar, Vikas Kalantari, Mukesh Tiwari, Milind Gunaji, Nasser Abdullah and Kader Khan was very professional. We all shared a good rapport on the sets.

Tell us a little about your forthcoming films.

Apart from Beach with Sanjay Kapoor, there are discussions about other films that I can't talk about right now.