"I am influenced by JLo" - Sherlyn Chopra

Courtesy: IndiaFM
Monday, October 15, 2007

After failing to woo the audiences with her skin show in Red Swastik, Sherlyn Chopra is all set to give it another try with her new album "Outrageous". It remains to be seen whether her hopes of boosting her image with the album will stand the test of time. As of now, Sherlin is raring to go a step ahead of Bollywood bombshell Mallika Sherawat.

Tell us about your new album "Outrageous".
"Outrageous" is a compilation of my closely-held thoughts and emotions which I had penned down when I was 16 years old. Those days, I used to scribble down on a loose sheet just about anything that used to come to my mind. Later, I put all these loose sheets in a file. A year ago, when my career was on a downslope, I decided to take from some of these thoughts. Gradually, some of these thoughts and emotions of mine turned into lyrics and got woven into five-six songs. I wanted to make a video of these songs and then release it, but I was not getting a suitable director. Then, during a chat show I met Prahalad Kakkar. I told him about my video and he was impressed by my work. At first, he was just not ready to believe that an Indian girl could possibly have such a mindset. By the way, I am quite influenced by Jennifer Lopez.

Why do you say that you don't think like an ordinary Indian girl?
I don't say that, Prahalad Kakkar does. Actually, our society still suffers from a mental block. Everybody wants that women should restrict their thinking. However, I am progressive minded and that shows in my songs. Some have appreciated my project, while others have raised brows. People in our country have double standards when it comes to sex. They forget that "Kamasutra" was created in India only.

Are you planning more albums after this one?
Of course. After this album becomes a hit, Prahalad has proposed that I do a few more albums. It's because of him that "Outrageous" has become such a strong project.

The album's subtitle is "End of the Beginning". What does it mean?
That's a good question. The songs in the album are related to my childhood and adolescent days. I have crossed all that and through my songs I am trying to relive them. Hence, the subtitle.

What exactly is "Outrageous"?
Oh, so many people have asked me this question. I would just like to say that "Outrageous" is worth viewing, I can't describe it only in words. If you want to know its literal meaning, you can check in a dictionary. In my words, "Outrageous" is nothing but shocking. Along with album, listeners will get a booklet free, which will have many photographs of mine donning the super-glamorous look.

Your thoughts are quite bold. What inspired you to express your boldness?
Maybe from my childhood…. My mother has never cooperated with me. My family has always tried to suppress me. They used to think I am worthless, and like many other girls I would simply get married and stay at home. My father stood out amongst such negative thinkers. He always felt that I had a spark. I used to be a topper in all fields in school. So it is quite understandable that when you try to suppress a topper, he/she is bound to rebel. My mother is a Persian Muslim. What is art for me is 'timepass' for her. This pricks me a lot.

How did you find yourself different from others?
I used to be immersed in books when my friends were at play. All had boy-friends and they used to tease me for not having one. Add to that, those days, my parents always used to fight at home. All these circumstances made me grow up much before age. A lot of thoughts expressed in "Outrageous" came to my mind in those days.

When you were a topper throughout, why did you choose Bollywood of all fields?
I have been into theatre right from my school and college days. And I used to win plenty of prizes in competitions. Since I was good at acting, I thought why not take it up as a profession. My father wanted me to become a doctor like him, but didn't agree. When I spoke to my family about my career choice, my mother didn't budge. Nobody thought that modeling and acting could be taken up as a profession. When I was not given permission to do as I pleased, I became even more rebellious. I weighed 60 kgs then, very ugly. Outsiders used to taunt that I would never become a heroine. That further strengthened my determination. Winning the title of Miss Andhra Pradesh at the age of 17 was my first achievement.

You didn't have the support of your family, how did you go ahead?
I laugh whenever I think about this. When I came to Mumbai, I had come in a car which I had bought on installment. When I found that paying the installments had become very difficult for me, I sold the car off and repaid the amount at one go. I used to do odd jobs for money but now my thinking has changed. I have realized that small jobs make you think small. Initially, when I used to reject offers, people used to say 'who is she to say no'.