| After making it big in the South, Asin steps into the choppy waters of Bollywood with Ghajini. |
The billboards across the country are screaming: Remember December 25, but Asin wishes that her audience in the South forgets the original Ghajini and watches the Hindi version with an open mind. “I know there is a lot of anticipation about the film in the South.” She gives it to the pan-India appeal of one man: Aamir Khan.
Comparisons are inevitable and Asin finds both Suriya, (who played the lead in the original) and Aamir equally passionate about the lead character Sanjay. The guy loses his girlfriend and memory in a gang attack. Out to take revenge, he finds himself handicapped, for he can remember only the last 15 minutes. So, he begins to write down the vital clues. Asin says that the story is the same; only the climax has been tweaked a bit. “I can’t compare, but the Hindi version has definitely been shot on a bigger scale.” In remakes (remember Nayak?), the dialogues are often literally translated into Hindi, lending a dramatic effect. Here, she maintains, the dialogues have been rewritten to suit the nuances of the language.
Talking of language, Asin insists she is fluent in Hindi. Putting doubts to rest, she adds the film was shot in sync sound, so there was no way she could cheat her way through.
Asin plays Kalpana, a model who believes in social activism. “As I had already played the character, it was easier for me to emote.” After the Mumbai terror attack, celebrity activism has also come into focus. “I don’t mind being part of a protest if it is not a publicity device. I am associated with a number of charity projects. I don’t agree with those who consider every celebrity protest as some sort of a gimmick. I have as much right to show solidarity with those who faced the terror attack as anybody else.”
As for shifting to Mumbai, Asin clarifies she has not shifted base. “It is just that the film was to be shot in Mumbai in real locations; so I thought it would be better to find a place in Mumbai rather than shuttling between cities. My parents are with me.” Her father is doubling as her manager. “He accompanies me on shoots.”
Is it indicative of some kind of insecurity in a new city? “Not at all. I am a very secure person. In the past, I have stayed in Mumbai for short periods for shooting commercials. I don’t think anybody should mind him accompanying me. As far as work goes, I have not found Bollywood any different from the South. New subjects are being tested everywhere. I had heard of projects getting delayed in Bollywood because stars don’t report on time but I have found everybody quite punctual.” Even Salman Khan? “Yes (laughs), I have completed a short schedule with him for London Dreams and he was on time.”
As for the gossip columns, which are full of her shopping binge in London with Vipul Shah, she says: “This is perhaps the only thing I have yet to figure out. Stories have been written about me when I have hardly spoken to the media. How do they come up with such ridiculous stuff? I want to clarify that there is no truth in the story that Vipul bought me shoes costing around a couple of lakhs because I was not happy with the ones I was offered. The film’s designer was in London a month before the shoot and he sourced all the stuff, including the shoes.”
Image is a big issue in Bollywood, and Asin says her only aim is not to get slotted. “I don’t want to be bracketed as someone for the intelligent multiplex audience or as having mass appeal. If I see myself fitting into a story, I will do it. Simple.”
What about the tag ‘glamorous’? “The word is loosely used. To me, glamour is more about style and attitude. There is a line of decency which I will never cross.”
Between the lines
On her selection
I was told Aamir watched the original and wanted me in the remake.
On Aamir
The media portrays Aamir as overtly methodical. Like most of us, he has a lighter side. I had heard that he loves to play pranks on newcomers. Thankfully, I was not targeted. On the last day of shooting, he did get some ideas but it was too late.
Here to stay
I am excited about Vipul Shah’s London Dreams and Bharatbala’s Walt Disney production 19th Step with Kamal Haasan.
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