Waiting with bated breath...
ANUJ KUMAR
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After making it big in the South, Asin steps into the choppy waters of Bollywood with “Ghajini”.
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To me glamour is more about style and attitude. There is a line of decency which I will never cross.
Pure magic Asin doesn’t want to be slotted.
The billboards across the country are screaming: Remember December 25, but if Asin gets a wish she would like her audience in South India to forget the original “Ghajini” and watch the Hindi version with an open mind. “I have heard there is a lot of anticipation about the film in South India.” She gives it to the pan Indian appeal of one man: Aamir Khan.
Comparisons are inevitable and Asin finds both Suriya, (who played the lead in the original) and Aamir equally passionate about the lead character Sanjay. The guy loses his girlfriend and memory in a gang attack. Out to take revenge, he finds himself handicapped for he can remember only the last 15 minutes. So he begins to write down the vital clues. Asin promises the story remains the same and only the climax is tweaked a bit. “I am no one to compare but the Hindi version is definitely shot on a much bigger scale.” In the remakes (remember “Nayak”?) the dialogue is often literally translated into Hindi, creating an exaggerated dramatic effect. Here, she maintains, the dialogue has been rewritten to suit the nuances of the language. Talking of language, Asin insists she is fluent in Hindi. Putting doubts to rest, she adds the film is shot with sync sound, so there was no way she could cheat her way through.
Celebrity activism
Asin plays Kalpana, a model who believes in social activism. “As I had already played the character it was easier for me to emote.” After the Mumbai terror attack, celebrity activism has also come into focus. “I don’t mind being part of a protest if it is not a publicity device. I am associated with a number of charity projects. I don’t agree with those who consider every celebrity protest as some sort of a gimmick. I have as much right to show solidarity with those who faced terror attack as anybody else,” she says.
As for shifting to Mumbai, Asin clarifies she has not shifted base. “It is just that the film was to be shot in Mumbai at real locations, so I thought it would be better to find a place in Mumbai rather than shuttling between cities. My parents are with me.” So food is not an issue? “Absolutely! Though I am not fussy about food but who doesn’t want home-cooked piping hot idlis at breakfast?”
She says her father is doubling up as her manager. “He accompanies me on the shoots.” Is it indicative of some kind of insecurity in a new city? “Not at all. I am a very secure person. In the past I have lived in Mumbai for short periods for shooting commercials. I don’t think anybody should mind him accompanying me. As far as work goes I have not found Bollywood any different from South. New subjects are being tested everywhere. I had heard of projects getting delayed in Bollywood because stars don’t report on time but I have found everybody quite punctual.” Even Salman Khan? “Yes (laughs), I have completed a short schedule with him for “London Dreams” and he was on time.”
And gossip columns, which are full of her shopping binge in London with Vipul Shah (director of “London Dreams”)? “This is perhaps the only thing that I have yet to figure out. Stories have been written about me when I have hardly spoken to the media. How do they come up with such ridiculous stuff? I want to clarify that there is no truth in the story that Vipul bought me shoes costing around a couple of lakhs because I was not happy with the ones I was offered. The film’s designer was in London a month before the shoot and he sourced all the stuff including the shoes and I had no problem with his choice.”
Image is a big issue in Bollywood, and Asin says her only aim is not to get slotted. “I don’t want to be bracketed as someone for intelligent multiplex audience or having mass appeal. If I see myself fitting into a story, I will do it. Simple.” What about the glamorous tag? “I agree it is a visual medium but the word is often very loosely used. To me glamour is more about style and attitude. There is a line of decency which I will never cross.”
Between the lines
On her selection
I was told Aamir watched the original and wanted me in the remake as well.
On Aamir
The media portrays Aamir as overtly methodical. Like most of us he has a lighter side. I had heard that he loves to play pranks on newcomers. Thankfully, I was not targeted. On the last day of shooting he did get some ideas but by then it was too late.
On Bollywood parties
I am not a party person. I like to spend free time reading books – anything from silly to heavy duty – and sipping coffee.
On role models
I agree many actresses from South India have made a mark in Bollywood but I don’t consider anybody as my role model. I want to create my own space.
Here to stay
I don’t want to be slotted. I am equally excited about Vipul Shah’s “London Dreams” with Salman Khan and Ajay Devgan and Bharatbala’s Walt Disney production “19th Step” with Kamal Haasan. It’s a multilingual film about Indian martial arts.
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