 The grass is always greener on the other side thus goes an age-old
adage. It seems to be true even in the Hindi film industry. Most actors
who are stuck with a particular image feel the other person is better
off. While item girls die to do a girl-next-door role thinking that it
is the best way to announce their arrival as an actress, there are many
who are tired of playing the girl-next-door and want to shed that image
and play a glamorous role.
Amrita Rao falls in the second category. She
is tired of playing the good-girl-next door and is all set to be seen
in glamorous roles in forthcoming roles. However, in her latest film
Victory, she continues to play a simple, studious girl from Jaisalmer!
The film, based on cricket, has Harman Baweja playing her hero. She has
no regrets though, for playing the roles she has till now.
"Glamour is something that any woman would love to adopt," says Amrita
when quizzed on the reason for her wanting a change in image. "Where
women vary is the degree of glamour they are comfortable with. I am
comfortable with the latest fashion trends and would like to adapt them
in my roles. If the script demands, I am ready to shed my image.
However, there is a limit beyond which I am not comfortable. I do not
want to compromise on my comfort level," explains Amrita, assuring her
fans that an item girl image is not something she is looking at.
Was it a conscious decision to carry on with the image of a girl next
door? "Not really. I think it is just a coincidence that most roles
that I have done are of that type. I think most of my directors thought
that is the role I would suit best! But that does not mean I cannot do
glamorous roles. In fact, my forthcoming film Shortcut will have me in
a completely different role," clarifies the pretty actress. "All actors
would like to prove their versatility by acting in different types of
roles. I am no different," says the actress who has been dubbed as one
of the cutest things to have happened to Bollywood in the recent past.
Victory, her latest film, narrates the story of a small town boy (Vijay
– played by Harman Baweja) who becomes a member of the Indian cricket
team after a lot of struggle. Amrita plays Nandini a girl from
Jaisalmer and Vijay's best friend from childhood. "Nandini is a medical
student and despite being from a small town has a strong personality
and wants to make it big in life. She is ready to stand up and fight
for a cause. She is also very vocal about everything she does in life.
Nandini stands by Vijay throughout his career and even when he becomes
a superstar, she has her feet firmly on the ground," explains Amrita.
"What I liked about this character is the subtle messages that come
through various actions of her. Nandini is not just another heroine,
she has a reason to be in the film and her presence makes a lot of
difference to the way the story progresses. It was a very nice
experience portraying the role of Nandini in Victory,'' says Amrita who
said yes to the film, the moment the script was narrated to her. "I
could realize that this was a unique film where the script is the real
hero!"
There are many unique things about Victory, the most publicized one
being 45 world famous cricketers acting as themselves in the film.
"Bret Lee, Brad Hogg and Mike Hussey from Australia, Shoaib Malik,
Sohail Tanveer and Iftiqar from Pakistan, Sanath Jayasuriya from Sri
Lanka and our very own Harbhajan Singh – all come together in this
movie. I think this is the first sports film to have so many stars and
such a huge canvas," says a beaming Amrita Rao. "Victory is very
different from the other cricket-based films like Lagaan and Iqbaal
that have been made in the recent past. It is very close to reality."
There have been rumours doing rounds about her alleged affair with
Harman. Amrita rubbishes that as pure fiction and says that they are
friends and it was a very nice experience working with Harman. "I have
stopped reacting to such rumours!" says Amrita. "But let me tell you
that working with Harman was a great experience. He has a fantastic
never-say-die attitude. He is completely committed to what he is doing.
In fact, when you see him in Victory, you will realize how perfectly he
has picked up the body language of a cricketer. He prepared a lot for
the role and the way he has portrayed the role is simply fascinating.
There is no flaw in the way he has performed in the movie," explains
Amrita all praise for his hero in reel life and friend in real life.
Sampurn Media
By Srabanti Chakrabarti
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