Amrita Rao, the Vivah girl

Courtesy: IndiaFM
Tuesday, November 14, 2006
She is bubbly, cheerful and yet intense and thoughtful in her own way. And what strikes you is that she is so essentially Indian in her character and mannerisms. Actress Amrita Rao is the prefect choice to play the coy, shy Poonam in Sooraj Barjatya's Vivah.

How does it feel to be a Rajshri heroine?
It is a privilege. My mother, in fact, always wanted my first film to be a Rajshri film. Today, I am playing the lead role in the film and am very excited about the same.

Tell us more about how you found the role...
Well, when I got a call from Rajshri, I was very excited. I met Soorajji and Raj Babuji and it was a simple introductory meeting. It lasted six hours and it was not even a narration. We bonded instantly. As for the role, it was every actresses' dream role and yet, they wanted me to think and then say yes. I mean, I was given the choice to choose whether or not I wanted to do the film. And that by itself was a great honour.

What was most interesting about the meeting?
That Soorajji chose me after seeing my role in The Legend of Bhagat Singh. He said, he liked me in the film and wanted me to be the Poonam of Vivah.

How was it during the shoot of Vivah?
It was beautiful. Soorajji is a treat to work with. He does most of the preparation for us actors that we only need to go by his instinct and perform. He takes so much care of us that the last day of the shoot was a difficult one to deliver.

Yes, we heard that you sang on the last day?
Yes, I did. It was one of Soorajji's favourite songs. I did not want the moment or the shoot to end. The shoot was a beautiful experience. In fact, most of the days, even if none of us had any shoot, we would still go and sit on the sets.

How was the shoot experience?
As I said, very touching. In fact, when I skipped meals and felt ill, Soorajjisaw to it that I was eating every time with them there was a break. I got so much to learn from Raj Babuji. It was a beautiful experience.

What do you like the most about Vivah?
Vivah is a film of beautiful moments. And there is so much intensity in the interaction between the two characters that comes out. Only Soorajji could have made Vivah.