An afternoon of media grilling in back-to-back interviews for the promotion of Yash Raj Films’s Bachna Ae Haseeno failed to wear out Minissha Lamba.
“Bring it on,” she challenged, in a telephone interview, when I joked about having questions that were spread across two pages.
But that’s Lamba for you – tons of unrestrained energy with an incorrigible sense of humour and smarts.
Her passion was directed at modelling which, interestingly enough, suits filmmakers because it provides them with the ideal opportunity to recruit promising newcomers for their movies.
In fact, many an actor, who wasn’t born into a film family, has either been discovered on the ramp or in television commercials.
And this is corroborated by Arjun Rampal, Katrina Kaif, John Abraham and even Upen Patel, among numerous others, who started out on the catwalk.
Lamba retraced her entry into Hindi cinema under the direction of Shoojit Sircar.
“I know that it sounds really clichéd, but it is something that happened quite by accident.
“I was in college studying literature and appeared in several commercials for brands like LG, Sony, Cadbury, Airtel and Sunsilk, when I was approached by a director making his début film. And that was how Yahaan came about,” she recalled.
“I wasn’t a model-model, you know,” she clarified. “I just did a lot of adverts and in a commercial it is easy to get your act right. Films, however, was a whole different ballgame, as you have to allow yourself to be vulnerable in front of the camera.”
But she doesn’t seem to be doing too bad, having landed roles in Corporate, Rocky: The Rebel, Anthony Kaun Hai, Honeymoon Travels Pvt. Ltd, Dus Kahaniyaan, Anamika and Shaurya. That she landed a cameo with Bollywood’s A-listers in Sajid Khan’s Heyy Babyy attests to her popularity
.
On her approach in cementing her career, she said: “I don’t think it has anything to do with strategy. It is basically what I feel about a particular film that is offered to me. I try to do films, and yes, good films, that are going to be loved and successful.”
So how does she feel about bagging a Yash Raj Film?
“I feel ecstatic. Actually it was the moment of singular joy in my career when I was finalised. Bachna Ae Haseeno is a wonderful romantic comedy. And I play a character I haven’t portrayed before,” she said.
Lamba plays Mahi, who bumps into Raj (Ranbir Kapoor) while on a trip to Europe.
She is 17, from Amritsar in India, and is looking for someone who fits in with her romanticised image of the hero who, coincidentally, is called Raj, in Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge.
As for being paired with Kapoor, she gushed: “He is a wonderful, talented and well-read young man. And he is a perfect gentleman and always looks after everyone by ensuring we were comfortable.
“Lots of our scenes are memorable, especially riding the bike and almost falling off in Switzerland, because it was shot in several beautiful locations.”
Her praise extends to director Siddharth Anand, who she says was fantastic.
“He has been the only director I called by his first name – I have never done that before. There was a great level of comfort in working with him and we ended up having lots of fun. Sid knows exactly how to get the performance he wants from his actors,” she revealed.
Incidentally, Lamba will be in Sanjay Gadhvi’s Kidnap opposite Imraan Khan.
“It’s premature to talk about it right now, but the film releases on October 2 and, once again, I play a completely different character,” she offered.
# Bachna Ae Haseeno is currently on circuit.
