20 questions with Anupama Verma

Her star sign: Leo

Who discovered her?: Photographer Shantanu Sheorey's video tested me

Was she in college then?:"No, when I was still only in the ninth standard."

Her first campaign:Digjam Suiting where I modelled with none other than Shekhar Kapur.

Other ad campaigns: Fair and Lovely, Siyaram, Harry's collections, Pantene, Lipton, Monte Carlo, Rexona etc.

Her claim to fame:Super success of the music video that I did for Biddu called "Boom Boom"

Her videos: "Boom Boom", "Tere bin Jeena Nahin" and "Lara Lappa"

How did she join the industry?: After Boom Boom, I was signed by Star TV for anchoring in Channel [V]. One day Jackie Shroff contacted me for a role in Grahan. Co-incidentally, my first shoot in the film is a screen test of the character in this film.

But Grahan was delayed by almost four to five years: "I had refused so many big films because I wanted "Grahan" to release first. But after three years of waiting, I started signing other films. So, in that way, I lost out on a lot of precious time."

That must have been frustrating: "Yes, but I don't want to mope about it, because that time is over and gone. Luckily, I had my modelling career that kept me busy all this time."

How did she bag Vadh: Raj Bharath who is the director of Vadh saw rushes of Grahan. He introduced to producer Dilip Dhanwani who signed me for Vadh

Her role: : I played a Rajput girl who is wedded to Nana. I'm 20 years younger to Nana in this film and have a childish type of behaviour. Nana pampers me and loves me a lot.

How was it working with Nana Patekar?: It was a privilege working with Nana; he is very co-operative, and it was a great learning experience.

Her other assignments: A film opposite Aftab Shivdasani directed by K. Murali Mohan Rao, Dil Ke Peeche Peeche starring Abbas and Ashutosh Rana and Ittefaq with Suni Shetty.!

She has also acted in a Tamil movie: Yes, the movie is "Manju" by director Ravichandran

Her ambition: It will be fun to manage a company of my own. Perhaps, something to do with advertising.

So, will modelling take a backseat?: I have always done selective modelling assignments all through my career. These days, most of the actors model alongside their acting career. So, it's not an issue."

She has been linked up with: Bikram Saluja and Mahesh Bhupathi.

Her top priority:Work. It's going to continue like this for some time.

How does she analyse her career? :"I know I lost out on a lot of time, but it's never too late. It's better late than never. If I'm good, I'm sure I'll get work."

Her strength : Always hoping for the best, and remaining true to herself.