She wears the mantle of an actor lightly but takes her role as an activist seriously. Hollywood actor Ashley Judd, who is currently in India, hopes to convey the troubles of people she meets, to people who can make a difference. She is here on a mission and has chosen the stories of the street corners over the glare of cameras.

With two Golden Globe nominations for `Norma Jean and Marilyn' (1996) and `De-Lovely' (2004), Judd is known for her performances both in thrillers and dramas. Her signature roles have been in `Double Jeopardy,' `Kiss the Girls' and `Frida.'

She greets one devoid of makeup. Only her height and gentle features make her a head-turner. Having played real life characters such as Tina Modotti in `Frida' and Norma Jean, Judd says it was "frightening" to play Norma Jean (better known as Marilyn Monroe). She avidly read Gloria Steinem's book, "Marilyn: Norma Jean," to prepare.

She says, "Norma was a mentally, physically, sexually abused wounded girl. I used it (the movie) as an opportunity to demonstrate the soul from which this epic icon emerged."

She hides her face in her long hair when she describes how she had to learn to imitate Marilyn. " I would sit in the hotel room with the voice coach trying to find the higher breath of voice."

Close to home

A student of University of Kentucky, she left college to discover Hollywood. Her childhood was often spent in trailers and on the road. In `Ruby in Paradise' (1993) and more recently in `Come Early Morning' (2006), she returns to her Southern working class milieu. Her performance as Lucy prompted the New York Times to declare that this was, "her most natural screen performance since that film (`Ruby in Paradise') pushed her toward stardom in 1993."

Judd is more loquacious about her activist work. She has come to India under the aegis of Population Services International (PSI), a Washington based non-government, non-profit organisation, which works in 64 countries for health care.

She speaks with the intonation of a spokesperson but with the passion of a priest at a pulpit. She decided to involve herself in social work while at the University. "From my childhood I have been sensitive to poverty. In a women's studies class in the University I had a spiritual experience and decided to heedlessly throw myself into work."

On noticing the incredulous expressions, she continues, "My acting career, however rewarding, has been a means to an end."

She vividly describes her experiences in the brothels of Kamathipura and the slums of Dharavi. "I would sit in a big squalid room with eight-ten women. I heard how these women were tricked, drugged, sold and trafficked into prostitution."

She proudly recounts how the previous night she raised funds ($25,000) at a party held in her host's garden in Delhi. She also brought attention to a young girl who was born into a brothel and sold to a 60-year-old man. When her mother tried to rescue her, the court put her in a remand home. Judd hopes to get legal representation for the girl.

The money raised is to be used to set up Voluntary Counselling and Testing Centres (VCTC) in high-risk areas.

She says she spent time with the sex workers, watching how they and their clients work. "There are many beds to a single room. There is no real partition, except for a curtain or maybe a wooden door. It is stiflingly hot. A woman will be with a client; while on the other side of the door there will be another client. The cooking was done in the same room; their belongings were kept under the bed. Children would run around."

Animatedly she describes how this is very abusive to children as they get initiated too early. They are discriminated against and cannot get admission to school easily.

Judd describes that she would stand at street corners and observe the soliciting. But how does a celebrity succeed in working in such areas? She replies that she chose to go to trucker areas where though it was crowded she could wander around more freely. She could see what was happening from a safe distance.

She praises the work of PSI, be it the inter-personal communicators or the puppet shows and plays that they staged. It is this "edutainment" that can help reach the message of safety and prevention from HIV/AIDS.

The answer

She hesitates over the question whether legalisation of prostitution is the solution. And she says, "The ultimate answer is that the attitude towards women and girls must change."

She has learnt to internalise these experiences. "At first, when I visited the brothels of Thailand, I felt sick. Now I can handle it in a more... "enlightened" process... " She hopes to convey these experiences to the government, wealthy people and the press.

Having started with television, Judd has also worked on stage. She says films are about, "Stop, start, hurry-up and beat it down to the tiniest bit. On stage, on the other hand, one must sustain the whole narrative and that too has its rewards and challenges."

Later this year, her movie `Bug' is slated for release. William Friedkin has directed it.

"It's a really extreme film," she says, "About two wounded people who come up with all these conspiracy theories!"

Of her co-star Michael Shannon, she says he was "brilliant" and succeeded in playing different aspects at the same time.

Asked how celebrities actually make a difference to social causes, she replies, stretching her arms, "YOU tell me."

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