Singh is queen

Valentine ’s Day may be over, but that doesn’t mean the romance has to fizzle out immediately. Whether you’re embarking on a new relationship, settled in a long-term bond or looking for love, you can always count on Bollywood to reflect those sentiments on the silver screen. This is no more apparent than in the latest rom-com set to hit the UAE, the John Abraham, Chitrangada Singh and Prachi Desai starrer I, Me, aur Main. Opening on the 28th of this month, Chitrangada gave us a sneak preview of what to expect.

What can you tell us about the film and your character?

I play Anushka who is Ishaan’s (John Abraham) girlfriend. She has done very well for herself professionally, but she has been with this guy for about three years and wants greater commitment. She keeps dropping hints and not much comes back from him.

Ishaan has a man-child thing going on and is being a bit of a jerk. He is innocent though and doesn’t know why he is upsetting people. Anushka is very much in love with him and doesn’t know what to do, so she throws him out. It is the only way to get on with her life, as this relationship is going nowhere. She puts up a strong front, but is vulnerable.

You’ve been married for some time, but is this how you would react if you were in a similar situation?

I think women have this emotional need to get commitment from their men. We all look to put down roots. It doesn’t matter how modern a girl is, and it is good to be financially independent and strong that way, but in the end we in India do want to start a family.

Do you think that will ever change?

No, it will not. We want to look for our own identity more and do things on our own terms, but eventually we want to do the conventional thing.

It has been a couple of years since Desi Boyz released, what was it like working with John again?

He has grown a lot more mature and responsible. He is a co-producer on this picture and is very on the ball. He is involved in adding up all the numbers.

He’s a very simple guy and open to ideas. He’ll let you look at every shot and if you have a thought on how to improve it, will have no hesitation in going for another take. He puts everyone at ease and he emits a positive energy.

And how did you find Prachi?

We were only together for two days, but I felt she is a very nice girl. She always had a smile on her face. She plays the girl next door and she does it very well.

Your last film Inkaar had you play Maya, another career-orientated woman. Do you see any similarities between her and Anushka despite the vastly different plots?

I think Maya was more complex. She had many things pulling her in different directions. Anushka is far more in control. They both have the same vulnerabilities to a certain extent – they don’t want men to affect their lives too much, but Anushka handles it a lot better by throwing hers out.

How did you take the mixed reception Inkaar received?

For me it was my best performance. I worked very hard on it. It’s very close to my heart and both Arjun and I wanted the movie to do well. It was a twisted plot and maybe that’s why it didn’t sit with people so well, but I am very proud of the film.

david@khaleejtimes.com