Things are all well with the actress, though. She has just been worried sick about her cousin, who is currently hospitalised. The ever-smiling actress has thus been spotted making frequent visits to the hospital!

What are your thoughts on horses?

I love horses and I think they are the most beautiful creatures on the earth. They are so pretty and majestic. I especially love a well bred race horse. I used to go regularly to the Mahalaxmi Race Club in Mumbai and watch the races. They are amazing.

Would you like to own a horse and get into the racing?

I love horses but I don’t know anything about them. I don’t want to own one. I would rather be a spectator and watch the races.

What are your thoughts on racing?

This is a relatively newer sport as one gets to know more about it after a certain age. As children we are exposed to games like cricket and tennis but not racing. Hence there is a certain amount of curiosity regarding this sport.

How do you find the city of Bangalore?

I just love Bangalore and would like to come back here often. Now that the city has a new international airport, it is a joy to fly out here. The airport is so huge and nice. I like it.

Any specific place you like in Bangalore?

I like the whole city per se. It is change of scenario from Mumbai. I love being here. I especially like the malls here.

Can you tell us something about your future projects?

I got a movie with Shyam Benegal which is slated to release this December. I am working on it now.

Bollywood starlet Minissha Lamba, looking hot in a floral black number, made an appearance. Cricketer Sree Santh, who’s becoming a regular on the Bangalore party circuit, came in too, with his tattoo partially on display. We also spotted Oum Pradutt, Vivek and Nisha, and Mamta and Sunny having a blast.

Actually, Minissha is her mom’s biggest fan and understandably the love for art follows in her genes. Those who’ve visited Minissha’s house claim that the paintings range from sceneries to psychedelic, and add a soothing effect to her house.

For Minissha, the paintings are very dear to her as they constantly remind her of her parents who dwell in Goa. The paintings are a way in which she feels connected to them and makes her house feel like a home.

Well, Minissha, we like to see your sunny smile…..hope your cousin gets well soon!

So, can we label her as a good student who never bunked classes? “As much as I disliked the idea, at times I had to, for, I was doing a part time job alongside,” she says.

And did this job have anything to do with acting, we wonder? “Acting just happened. I actually aspired to be a journalist,” says the former model, who still loves to wield the pen whenever time allows.

Any college romance, we get curious. And she says, “No, my life was quite dull in this aspect.”
A style icon for many, we ask the lady to share her style mantra of college days. “Kurtis teamed up with denims or a long kurta worn with a pyjami or a patiala salwar,” she says. And while she is quite particular about her eating habits now, she confesses to have indulged in almost everything at college, “We used to live on bhel puri, chhole bhaturey and pav bhaji.”

Last, we ask her to pick one college memory that she’d love to revisit. “I don’t want to sound like a geek, but I’d love to meet my professors, hear them speak and submit better tutorials,” she says.

The English department had the best teachers, there was professor Ila Singh and of course Sharmila Ma’am…”, recalls the ex-Miranda student.

She can, in that way, be labeled as a good student who always listened to her teachers.

“As much as I disliked the idea, at times I had to, for, I was doing a part time job alongside. Acting just happened. I actually aspired to be a journalist,” says the former model. She still likes to wield the pen whenever time allows.

On being asked about her style mantra for college days, she says, “Kurtis teamed up with denims or a long kurta worn with a pyjami or a patiala salwar,” she says.

Why not talk about your intimate escapades? It’s because of repressions – the nagging sense that being sensual is a bit secretive and should be kept ’sectioned off’ from the rest of who we are.

But tell you what; there’s nothing sexier than confidence, especially when it spills out between the sheets! Sensual loving begins with indulging and lavishing attention on your body.

Book yourself a quiet night in; turn off your mobile, dim the lights and let yourself relax.

Try having a long, hot bath with scented candles and sensual oils, whilst playing relaxing and uplifting music. Lie back, close your eyes and concentrate on taking deep breaths because we bring to you her handbag, her body, her adulterous affairs, her school fantasies, her ambivalence about sex, her sensual pleasures, her self indulgent love, her stilettos, her bath essentials, her foot massages and much more. It’s all here; in this slideshow of secrets revealed. This Monsoon, get ready for some wet and wild talk as Bollywood Hungama’s London correspondent and UK’s Harrow Observer columnist bring you the first of the four part exclusive series titled ‘INTIMACY’ featuring Minissha Lamba. Go ahead, read it. You might get your confidence back!

Monsoon as wet and wild:
In childhood, monsoon is associated with fun, getting wet in the rain and playing in it. As you grow older, the concept of monsoon becomes more romantic. It becomes wistful, having tea with your loved one and cosying and cuddling up. Right now, I am in a very sensuous phase of monsoon. These are some of the stages of monsoon as per my observations.

Romancing with books:
I was someone who in my teenage years read a lot of Mills and Boons and I’d wish, ‘Oh my God! If this perfect love only happens to me like every girl reading Mills and Boons hopes for.’ That was my idea of love that was my idea of romance with a perfect man. So you set out in your mind the Mills and Boon man who takes over, who knows what you need before you need it, who is your caretaker. So you grow up with those ideals and come out in the real world only to find out that there is no such man. That was my first brush with romanticism.

“Much before beginning to shoot for the film, I was sure about one thing that I couldn’t let Shyam sir down”, says Minissha with respect in her voice for the veteran film maker, “Here I was working with a man who has been directing for 35 years now so I had to be nothing but perfect with my performance.”

With such a senior person calling the shots, wasn’t it intimidating to take directions from him?

“Honestly, it wasn’t intimidating because Shyam sir is a pro in working with actors. He knows how to take care of them and extract the best out of them. This is why I didn’t even know how an entire month passed by and the shooting got over. More than him calling the shots, what was really unnerving was the kind of immense pressure that I had put myself into. For me, every day was a challenge as I had to give my very best”, she shoots off.

“With such an ensemble cast in the film, you have to be on your toes all the time. There were some scenes in particular which were quite challenging and I didn’t really know where I was and what was I doing. But as I said, Shyam sir gets it going for his actors at the end of the day. I can only say that working in Well Done Abba was an educative trip for me and I only came back a little more well versed in cinema”, signs off Minissha.

With Boman Irani playing the title role of ‘Abba’ and Minissha Lamba as his daughter, the film also stars Sameer Dattani (as Minissha’s love interest), Ravi Kishan, Ila Arun, Salim Ghouse, Sonali Kulkarni, Rajit Kapoor, Yashpal Sharma and Ravi Jhankal. A BIG Pictures production, the film has lyrics by Swanand Kirkire, Ila Arun and Ashok Mishra with music by Shantanu Moitra.

In town recently, we caught up with the actress who was busy catching up on the IPL action on television. “Cricket is fun, especially the new T20 format! It’s a complete entertainer. Even women love watching this game. And why not? It gets over in just three hours,” Minissha says.

But cricket is not the only game that gets her adrenaline pumping. The actress turned out to be quite a sport as she adds, “I like tennis also, as your heart is always in your mouth. Also, I’m fond of adventure sports like river rafting and scuba diving.”
Little wonder then that Minissha is keen to indulge in some kick ass action, “I am looking forward to doing an action film where I am all bloodied, bruised and aching.” Whether she gets to don this avatar remains to be seen, but the actress will soon be seen playing a village belle in Shyam Benegal’s Well Done Abba.

From a bikini babe in Kidnap to a village girl in Well Done Abba, the actress is sure excited about her new role in the film. “It’s really interesting and I have had great fun reinventing myself. Also, I had to learn the Dakini dialect for the project. It was really tough, not only for me but also for my friends.

During my learning process whenever they used to call me I would talk in Dakini and they thought that I’d lost it,” laughs Minissha. Dubbing her experience of working with Shyam Benegal a “dream come true,” the actress says, “I count myself lucky that Sir chose me for his film. In fact, I couldn’t believe it was happening. He has been making films even before I was born.”

Recounting her experience with the veteran filmmaker, she adds, “We were shooting at 43 degrees in Hyderabad. While the youngsters would have a tough time in that heat, Sir would be there from 8 am till pack-up. He wouldn’t even go to his vanity van. I admire his passion and energy. During lunchtime we would all sit together and Sir would regale us with his tales. I would walk into the set with my head bowed down. Every time I sensed that Sir wasn’t happy with my performance I would feel shattered. But if he liked any particular shot my day was made.”