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| NOKISSANDTELL:Geeta Basra |
Emraan might pucker up, but his leading lady says 'not in my debut film'
Chaitanya Padukone
thelist@mid-day.com
Aashiq Banaya Aapne established Emraan Hashmi as Bollywood's favourite on-screen serial kisser. But for its director Aaditya Dutt, it might have been a bit of a deterrent. His newest leading lady, Geeta Basra, was under the impression that she was in for a lot of uncomfortable puckering thanks to Emraan's presence in his latest film Dil Diya Hai.
"I was misinformed that Dil Diya Hai had heavy-duty smooching and intimate scenes, which I am not comfortable doing. But when I signed the movie and discussed it with Adi, I realised that there was no cause for concern," says the debutant actress.
So it had nothing to do with Emraan's reputation? "Not at all. It's just that I did not want to hamper my first impression in my debut film. In my subsequent movies, I'm okay with kissing as long as it's essential to the plot and shot gracefully," Geeta counters.
The London-bred model landed Dutt's second film after his break-up with his former leading lady Tanushree Dutta. "I knew Adi was looking for a fresh face with an Indian look. So there is no question of my having deprived any established actress of her prospects of being cast in this movie. Considering the tough competition, I was skeptical whether I would be selected," says Basra.
No clichs
Dil Diya Hai also stars Ashmit Patel. "It's a dream-role. Although I'm from the UK, I'm not playing the cliched NRI. I play an Indian girl who is visiting London, while Emraan plays the tourist guide who conducts our package tour. There are flashes of a romantic triangle when my character also interacts with Ashmit," she says in her clipped British accent.
Coming back to Emraan, he has quite the reputation of being a prankster as well. Did Geeta bear the brunt of his fun side too? "It was quite a "shocking" experience actually! They asked me to sign an autograph with a particular pen. As I was about to sign, I got a painful electric shock and flung the pen away. They were all laughing at my expense after making a 'bakra' out of me!" she recalls, with a mock frown.
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