Q. Did you and Rani miss not having a hero in No One Killed Jessica?
A. I see them as interesting roles which could have been played by two men; it just happens that there are two women at the helm of affairs right now. I don’t look at it as women empowerment. We love having our heroes around us.
Q. Are you as deglam in real life as in the film?
A. I normally take more time to dress up in my personal life than I took to get ready for this character. But really enjoyed playing this person. It was a joy ride as my hairdresser would just tie my hair in a pony, the makeup guy would do the base… and I would be ready. In a way, the look helped me because as soon as I put on those oversized shapeless clothes, I felt that it was not me; it took me into Sabrina, who was a very regular girl confronted with a life-altering moment.
Q. Your dressing sense had earlier received a lot of flak. But of late you have become a natty dresser.
A. If I am feeling confident and good, I will look good. Your clothes should be an extension of your personality and when they are not, it becomes an issue. It’s all part of the learning process Now I pay attention to what works and what doesn’t. Previously, I didn’t bother much.
Q. What kind of upbringing have you had?
A. What I know is, if I’m right, then there is no need to hide. My upbringing has been such that my parents have always told me ‘if you have broken something tell us, usse maar nahin padegi’. Agar jod ke rakh do toh problem hoti hai.
Q. Are you an emotional person?
A. My problem is that I’m very emotional. I think from my heart.
Q. Finally, as a South Indian for whom Hindi is not a mother tongue, your Hindi enunciation is very good.
I loved Hindi from the very beginning. I would frequent my teacher’s house to read passages from my Hindi textbook, aloud. I wanted to fine-tune my diction because I wanted to become an actress. Even today, I do mix up the genders a lot.