'DNA' has caught the pulse of Mumbai

Actor Amrita Rao took time off from her hectic schedule to meet three DNA readers — Roopesh Khangaonkar, Maroof Nursumar and Jovita Abreo. They were the winners of a reader promotion initiative titled Celebrate with DNA that we ran recently. Amrita faced a barrage of questions from them and thoroughly enjoyed the experience.

She says, “Media projects an actor in a certain way. But what is projected may not be the real me. We don’t always get time to meet people and sit down and talk to them which may show them who we really are. I’m enjoying this interaction with DNA readers and they seem to be really hands-on with news. Every question they have asked showed that they have followed my life and the industry really well. This certainly shows that DNA is bringing to them the reality.”

When asked what she likes about DNA, Amrita says, “The newspaper is self-motivated because in four years it has scaled such great heights. Looks like After Hrs has been with us forever because you have been spot on with news that matters. It has caught the pulse of Mumbai and many other cities and got into our bloodstream.”

JOVITA ABREO quizzes:
How do you find time to balance work and family?
Amrita: “I’m a very family-oriented person and spending time with my parents matters to me a lot. They are the main reason why I’m here and what I have achieved. It is because of their constant motivation towards building my career that I have achieved so much.”

What is your diet regime?
Amrita: “I’m a pure vegetarian. I have started gymming now. Being a veggie, fat has never been a concern for me. I eat healthy but I also slurp on my burger fries. I have never thought twice before putting food in my mouth. I think I have been very lucky.”

Tell us one thing about you that nobody knows...
Amrita: “I am distantly related to Guru Dutt. One of my grandfather’s cousins is from the blood line of Guru Dutt and I’m quite proud of that.”

MAROOF NURSUMAR quizzes:
You’ve been in the industry for eight years. Are you happy with what you have achieved?
Amrita: “I have no complaints. I have got good movies and worked with people like Shah Rukh Khan. I would love to work with Aamir Khan. But as an actor sometimes I do feel the angst for not getting female-oriented roles because it is a male-dominated industry and female actors don’t get great opportunities to shine. But things are changing with the fresh brigade of directors coming in like Anurag Kashyap, Dibakar Banerjee etc.”

Why did you suddenly decide to convert into a glam girl?
Amrita: “That’s not entirely true as in my first movie Ab Ke Baras I was quite an urbane girl. I was styled by Neeta Lulla and I think I looked glamourous. So me turning into a glam girl happened through the media. I am liking all that is being written and how people are talking about my looks.”

ROOPESH KHANGAONKAR quizzes:
As a publicity gimmick before a film’s release often actors are paired up. Do you endorse this kind of promotion?
Amrita: “I personally wouldn’t like to give a go ahead to such kind of promotion but I have heard of people doing it to pump up their movie. I don’t see anything wrong in that. I’m not here to judge anyone. Publicity is publicity and if anything gets people into the news and helps them, so be it.”

Is there any iconic Bollywood character like Mother India that you would like to play?
Amrita: “I would like to play Anarkali from Mughal-e-Azam. I like the grandeur, the charm and period setting. I’d love to play Sridevi in Chalbaaz too. She was brilliant.”