It has been a long while since the svelte and seductive Sushmita Sen sashayed into the world of shimmer and spectacle as she stole the prestigious Miss Universe title from under the nose of participants spanning the world. After a year of her reign over the planet, her entry into Bollywood was predictable — and not to mention perfectly forgettable as she did little besides playing a romanticized version of herself on screen in Vikram Bhatt’s “Dastak.” The years have been kind to Sushmita though. Not only has she carved a nice little niche for herself in the throbbing hearts of males across the world, she has also come into her own as an accomplished actress with Meghna Gulzar’s “Filhaal.” Fresh out of her share of critical acclaim for the film, Sushmita is once again the toast of the Indian filmworld, this time for a plum part in Vipul Amrutlal Shah’s eagerly anticipated film “Aankhen.” We caught up with the sensuous actress to find out what the film is all about.
Q: How does it feel to have a pivotal role in an essentially male-dominated film?
A: I must say it was flattering to be offered a project as prestigious as “Aankhen,” with a set of really accomplished actors led by none other than Amitabh Bachchan himself. It’s nice to know that my potential as an actress is being acknowledged. It’s a great role. I’m the only woman in a team that is otherwise full of men — and I’m not part of the furniture. My character is very crucial to the plot.
Q: Can you tell us a little about “Aanken”?
A: Well, “Aankhen” is centered around Amitabh Bachchan. He plays an honest and idealistic banker whose job has been wrongfully terminated which makes him turn around and decide to take revenge on the bank for messing him up. In order to accomplish this grand bank robbery, he gets a teacher at the school for the blind played by me to train three blind men (Akshay, Arjun and Paresh) and pull off the coup. It has a fascinating plot — very different from what we see these days.
Q: What was it like working with first time director Vipul Shah?
A: Well there were initial reservations since he was new — and we hadn’t interacted much during the script reading sessions, but all doubts were dispelled the minute he picked up the microphone on the sets. Vipul is an extremely gifted director. He will go places after this film. He is thorough and knows the film like the back of his hand. It was a pleasure to have worked with him.
Q: Is there anything about your character in the film that attracted you to the part?
A: Yeah, Neha Shrivastav (that’s my character) is a tough cookie. She is focused and determined and knows her job. She’s not a run-of-the-mill who stands around and looks pretty. There’s a certain strength in the character that would draw any actress worth her salt to take it up. She is singularly responsible for training those blind men. Without her, the entire plot would fall flat on its face.
Q: After the kind of international attention that “Lagaan” has received recently, do you think “Aankhen” is slated to be the next big thing on the Bollywood block?
A: That’s a tough question. The film isn’t released yet. We’re all very proud of what we’ve come up with, but it’s too premature to predict the fate of the movie. I mean, we have no idea how the audience is going to react to something so different. Let’s hope for the best. It’s wonderful that our cinema is finally getting its due across the world.
Q: The quintessential question: What was it like to work with Amitabh Bachchan?
A: Need you ask? It was absolutely phenomenal. The man is a genius on screen. On the sets he’s the epitome of perfection and professionalism. How many actors of his stature would actually take the trouble to make their co-stars comfortable? He’s a gem. I’ve wanted to work with him for as long as I can remember. In one film, we came face to face just once. With “Aankhen,” it’s one more dream fulfilled — acting with Amitabh.
Q: Your last film “Filhaal” didn’t work with the masses, despite critical acclaim. Any regrets?
A: None at all. “Filhaal” was a path-breaking movie as far as I was concerned. It gave me the opportunity to actually tap my own potential as an actress and for that I will be eternally indebted to the film and to Meghna Gulzar who worked so hard to bring it to the silver screen. I’m extremely proud and possessive of it.
Q: What next after “Aankhen”?
A: I don’t exactly have a hectic back-to-back shooting schedule organized as of now. At the moment, I’m doing a film with Gordhan Tanwani and Farah Khan’s directorial debut. There is nothing else to talk about.
Q: Is it true that you’re taking a sabbatical from work?
A: I don’t know if I would call it that — but yes, I am consciously looking to cut down on my work. I want to do fewer films and work only on projects that challenge me as a performer. Of late I have also become a little wary of this crazy media overexposure. Every other channel seems to have my face plastered on it. I need to get out of that rut.