I’m not retiring, says petite Ayesha

Why is the media so hell bent on me taking a premature retirement from acting? I have just started my career and have a long way to go as an actress," laments petite actress Ayesha Takia, dismissing rumours of her quitting Bollywood. Ask her if the Allah pendant that she was wearing around her neck was given to her by her beau Farhan Azmi, Ayesha smiles and says, "No, I picked it up from Dubai."

The topic then shifts to her films. For the first time she is doing a film based on a real life episode. "Yes, it's true that Nagesh Kukunoor's Dor is based on an incident that had really happened with two women. That's why I am particularly excited about the film. Also, what excites me is that Dor is about women empowerment. It is about a woman having the power and freedom to think on her own and make her own decisions. It is about the woman writing the script of her life and not allowing others to do so."

Currently, Ayesha is excited about Satish Kaushik's Shaadi Se Pehle. "For the first time, I have done a comedy. Working with a director like Satish Kaushik doubles your joy," she says, adding, "I play the character of Rani, who is very insecure about the man she loves. She suspects him constantly, while he is a hypochondriac and is confused between the women he loves and the one he lusts for."

Takia has completed shooting for Naseeruddin Shah's Yun Hota To Kaisa Hota. She says, "Working with a talented actor like Naseeruddin Shah is an experience that I shall always cherish." Besides this, Takia has an impressive list of films that she has already started shooting for. "There is Ahmed Khan's Fool And Final and Nikhil Advani's Salaam-E-Ishq. I will soon begin shooting for Imtiaz Ali's Geet."