After a little lull, actorAmrita Raowill be back on screen, starring opposite Sunny Deol. She talks to Madhur Tankha about her new film and how it was to be the muse of legendary artist M.F. Husain.
Like many girls she has been idolising actor Sunny Deol from her college days. After a decade in Bollywood, actor Amrita Rao has finally got an opportunity to act opposite Sunny in Anil Sharma's ambitious projectSingh Saheb the Great.
For Amrita, whose third filmIshq Vishkmade her a sought after actor in the film industry, playing a prominent role in a Sunny Deol-starrer has been an unbelievable experience.
"Sunny is such a professional and one of the strongest action heroes. He is the only one who has retained his macho image even when other actors were changing over to romantic films."
Apart from sharing on-screen camaraderie with Sunny, the actor had excellent working relation with Anil Sharma, whose blockbusterGadar -- Ek Prem Kathabroke box-office records.
"Anil gives his actors creative freedom… The film has Prakash Raj as the antagonist. The film has the flavour of Bhopal as the first schedule was completely shot there."
While her Sunny Deol film is still to be completed, her filmJolly LLBopposite Arshad Warsi is at the post-production stage.
"Arshad has established himself as a versatile actor. The role has been tailor-made for him. Nobody could have played that role with the typical flamboyance that Arshad has," quips Amrita.
Amrita is playing a primary teacher who is the love interest of Arshad. "She is a headstrong woman who speaks her mind without thinking twice," says Amrita about her character, adding that she had to work on her diction to sound like a North Indian rather than a Mumbaikar. "Watching news channels for a few weeks helped me get the correct pronunciation. It was important since the film is set against the backdrop of East Uttar Pradesh," says Amrita, who is originally from Karnataka.
With no godfather in the film industry, Amrita has been treading cautiously while selecting projects right from signing her first filmAb Ke Barasopposite Arya Babbar.
"I have not been blindly choosing roles. When I look back I want to see the kind of roles I have done with a lot of respect and satisfaction. Money has never been a criteria while approving a film. I have been careful not to make a mistake. It is important to balance everything," she says.
Though Amrita has been fastidious while selecting her film projects, she nevertheless admits that there is no guarantee of success. "Inadvertently, I may have made certain mistakes like refusing some good projects. But still I have no regrets."
During her career, Amrita has never allowed a creative difference with the film-maker to come in the way of smooth running of the project. "I have always followed the principle of leaving the final decision to the director. At times, I feel there should be some addition or deduction in my role and I discuss it with the director." Apart from her love for films, Amrita has developed a deep interest in the art world and was fortunate enough to become the muse of legendary artist M. F. Husain.
"He called me over to Dubai and did a series of paintings. It was a privilege to become a part of his historical journey. His series was inspired by the classic filmMughal-e-Azamand epitomised the golden era of Hindi film industry."
Enamoured by her looks, Husain even compared the young actor with the extraordinarily beautiful Madhubala👏.
"Husain thought I had the old-world charm."
Even though the late artist was then a nonagenarian, he still exuded so much of energy, passion and professionalism that the actor holds him in high esteem.
"It was an extraordinary meeting. I also cherish his regular phone calls and his crucial advice on the kind of films I must do."
Angry over incidents of rape across the country, particularly the recent gang-rape of a Delhi medical student, Amrita advocates death sentence👍🏼 for perpetrators of such heinous crimes.
"Blaming the Hindi film industry for criminal assaults would be a very myopic view. One can watch Hollywood and European movies as well as po*nography on the Internet," she says.
Anupamaa
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