My parents are very democratic and liberal people who made the mistake of being democratic and liberal in the upbringing of their children! And in my case, they are still paying for it! Paying in the literal sense as well.
I am a self-destructive idiot.
Being unapologetic about my body, my sexuality, my life's decisions is a political belief that, as a feminist, I strongly espouse.
Somewhere, the audience relates to my characters and their vulnerability. I believe they see themselves in me.
Remember that you have to be happy to make other people happy. Don't get weighed down by duty, guilt, and responsibility all the time.
The contentious issue of pay parity between male and female actors is easily resolvable if a number of big actresses decide to put their foot down. But we have to also consider the factors of time and labour. If a female actor has shot only for 40 days and the male actor for 200 days, she cannot expect to be paid the same amount.
I feel glamour has a legit place on the ramp and in the fashion world. In films, glamour has to service the story.
You have to look beyond your known limited experience. Politics should be based on compassion.
I was an avid 'Chitrahaar' and 'Superhit Muqqabala' watcher. We did not have cable TV for a long time, so that was my only source of entertainment growing up. My great fantasy was to be in 'Chitrahaar!'
In India, we are parented in a way that we get very good values. But the whole culture forgets to tell us to also value ourselves. It's really OK sometimes to take into consideration your own happiness.
When I came to Mumbai, I didn't know a soul. The only person I knew was an assistant director, which, everyone agrees, is the lowest form of life on the set. So, it was not a great contact to have. So, I knew from day one that I wasn't going to be launched opposite a superstar.
I have become a little more cynical and, I would like to believe, a little wiser. When I first came to Mumbai, I was very idealistic. Now I can look anyone in the face and tell a lie. But I'm in a good place.
I never saw myself as a character actor or a lead actor; I've only seen myself as just an actor.
I feel that where I came from made me the actor that I am, and I wouldn't want to trade that with anything else.
When I grew up, I realised what an amazing thing my parents did. It was such a big deal for my mom, a middle class woman, to decide to leave her children and husband to go and do her Ph.D. for three years. And my dad, who is even more middle class, a traditional South Indian, to let his wife do that.
In India, thousands of people want to be in the movies because Bollywood plays such a huge role in our lives.
Once, I had a huge fight on a film set with an actor who threw tea on a spot boy's face. I refused to shoot until he apologised.
In the industry, I am judged by what I wear. If I want to be taken seriously, I have to hire a team of stylists. It's an occupational hazard. But it's not as though I am any less of a feminist.
As a student, I was a total jhalli who used to wear torn denims, faded kurtis, kohled eyes and thought that I was the coolest girl ever! We were a bunch of students who used to do social-issue-based street plays and believed that we could bring about a change in the world.
I love acting, though I don't like the frills around it - red-carpet appearances, dressing up to look a certain way.
