No longer AWOL-Divya[Shanno]

No longer AWOL

Divya Dutta resurfaces with a slew of films, and talks about her bonding with Aishwarya Rai

Ram Kamal Mukherjee

Divya Dutta who disappeared after playing a cameo in Yash Chopra's Veer Zaara, is on a roll this year with a record line-up of one release a month. Leading her list is J P Dutta's Umrao Jaan, where she plays Shabana Azmi's daughter and Aishwarya Rai's sister.

Her character in this film is a new addition and was absent from Muzaffar Ali's original film. "My character has been developed by J P Dutta himself. In fact, he was very surprised to see so many beautiful women around. J P would say, 'Where are my brave soldiers? I am going crazy with so many women around me," says Divya.

Did she bond well with Aishwarya Rai? "I always imagined her to be snooty. But one day when I was sitting quietly in a corner, she came up to me and inquired after my health. She is a caring person and shares a brilliant rapport with everyone," says Divya. Incidentally, she had to perform one solo and duet number with Aishwarya in the film.

Besides Umrao Jaan, Divya is awaiting the release of Chakravarthy's Darwaza Bandh Rakkho. "It's a dark comedy where I play a typical Maharastrian bai. And no, I didn't draw inspiration for the character from my own maid," she says.

And after a housemaid, it's a housewife in Trishna, with Yashpal Yadav playing the husband who involves her in a crime he commits. "The film revolves around baby-selling — an obviously dark subject," she says.

Then there's Apne. "It was fun working with the Deols. I come from the same village in Punjab that Dharamji comes from. So I used to talk to Dharamji and Sunny in Punjabi. Bobby is still learning the language though," she says. Divya insists that Dharmendra is the best among the Deols. "There was an emotional scene and Dharamji pulled it off without glycerine. In fact, after the shot we all had tears in our eyes," she recollects.

Divya will be also seen as the protagonist in Gudiya, and also plays an important role in Gurdas Mann's next Hindi venture with Juhi Chawla. "I don't have any time to mingle. I have been working round the clock and my friends are complaining," she says.