Mrinalini
Sharma.
The
name
rings
a
bell???
Does
Awarapan
ring
a
bell???
Yea
you
got
it!
She
is
back...
and
back
for
good
to
play
the
game
Hide
&
Seek.
This
Apoorva
Lakhia
produced
and
Shawn
Arranha
directed
film
has
got
her
back
in
action.
Oh!
But
I
forgot
to
mention
how
good
this
babe
is
at
her
game.
I
mean,
she
decided
to
play
one
on
me
too.
Don't
we
say,
''It's
difficult
to
trace
a
celebrity
for
an
interview?''
Sharma
did
just
that.
After
sending
her
ten
text
messages
over
a
period
of
one
month,
I
finally
managed
to
find
her...and
where?
At
the
J.W.
Mariott's
bar
area
where
I
am
awaiting
her
arrival.
I
was
busy
reading
the
newspaper
kept
on
the
serving
desk...You
know...trying
to
catch
up
on
the
current
stories.
Now
you've
also
heard
that
how
spooky
these
thriller
movies
can
get
sometimes.
So
as
I
flip
the
pages,
I
don't
know
why,
but
I
turned
behind
to
see
if
my
lady
for
the
day
had
arrived.
And
there
she
was
in
her
black
sun
glasses,
denims,
her
black
top,
looking
right
into
my
eyes
and
saying,
''Are
you
Devansh
Patel?''
Since
how
long
was
she
standing
behind
me?
I
don't
know...and
never
bothered
to
ask
too.
Events
like
these
scare
the
sh**
out
of
you
sometimes.
The
game
was
interesting
and
so
was
the
player.
Or
was
it
a
game?
Who
knows!
UK's
Harrow
Observer
columnist
and
Bollywood
Hungama's
London
correspondent
Devansh
Patel
gets
talking
to
the
come
back
girl,
Mrinalini
Sharma
over
a...nothing.
We
didn't
order
anything.
There
was
no
tea,
no
coffee,
nothing!
Or
was
there
anything....who
knows!
The
game
just
got
a
bit
spookier.
When
was
the
first
time
you
can
recall
playing
the
game
of
Hide
&
Seek?
Wow!
It
had
to
be
when
I
was
a
child.
We
used
to
play
the
game
in
birthday
parties
and
around
the
house
when
my
cousins
would
come
and
visit
me.
Dark
room
was
also
very
popular
back
then.
Purab
once
commented
that
you
were
a
man
amongst
the
men
in
Aawarapan.
Now
in
this
film,
you've
got
company
I'm
going
to
take
Purab's
case
(laughs).
Thankfully,
I've
got
company
in
the
form
of
Amruta
Patki.
But
do
you
like
men
around
you?
It
entirely
depends
on
the
scenario
in
which
you're
working.
So
far,
I've
really
loved
working
with
men
who
eventually
became
my
very
good
friends.
We
were
on
location
outside
India
for
more
than
a
month
while
we
were
filming
Aawarapan
and
not
for
once
I
felt
left
out.
In
Hide
&
Seek
too,
I
was
well
aware
about
many
of
them.
I
know
Sameer
since
quite
a
while
now,
known
Arjan
socially,
I've
worked
with
Purab
in
Aawarapan,
and
I've
worked
with
Amruta
during
my
modelling
days.
That
leaves
Aayaz,
and
we
share
the
same
kick
boxing
instructor.
A
long
sabbatical
after
Aawarapan.
Are
you
superstitious
Mrinalini?
To
some
extent.
I'm
not
being
superstitious
in
terms
of
taking
up
or
not
taking
up
films.
I'm
just
superstitious
in
not
talking
about
my
films
till
they
are
done.
And
what
about
your
survival
in
Bollywood?
Bollywood
is
a
very
competitive
world.
It's
not
easy
for
new
actors.
You
have
to
be
savvy,
street-smart
and
you
have
to
know
your
industry.
Sometimes
there
is
no
shame
in
saying
that
I
need
to
sit
back
and
learn
it.
I'm
extremely
grateful
to
Shawn
and
Apoorva
who've
given
me
a
good
film
after
Aawarapan.
Yes,
there
is
a
tomorrow,
there
is
a
future
and
I'm
sure
to
survive
here.
There
is
a
future
for
actresses
like
me.
How
well
do
you
know
this
industry?
I've
learnt
it
step
by
step
and
still
learning.
I
don't
know
the
film
makers
and
whom
to
call
up.
I've
got
many
friends
in
the
modelling
industry
but
none
from
Bollywood.
I
didn't
even
know
whom
to
approach
and
talk
to.
So
it's
been
a
process
of
learning
the
people,
learning
the
ropes,
learning
how
to
present
yourself
and
pitch
yourself
for
any
film.
It's
fun
and
great
and
very
healthy.
You
wish
you
were
a
star
daughter.
In
this
city
alone,
there
are
people
who
aspire
to
become
actors.
Thousands
go
back
empty
handed.
It's
a
world
which
seems
glamorous
to
people
but
they
don't
realise
the
hardships
behind
it.
It
looks
sparkling
and
that's
why
the
common
man
wants
to
grab
it
and
make
it
big
here.
There
is
a
little
something
called
possibility.
It's
very
hard
to
say
no
to
people's
aspirations.
With
those
who
have
parents
from
the
film
industry
and
have
tremendous
contacts,
yes,
there
used
to
be
endless
possibilities.
But
not
now.
With
the
newer
set
of
film
makers
coming
in,
it's
come
down
more
to
credibility,
auditions
or
prior
work
done.
Would
you
spend
two
hours
inside
a
locked
shopping
mall
in
the
middle
of
a
night?
Not
at
all.
I'm
scared
of
darkness,
shadows
and
horror
flicks.
I
have
this
very
over
active
imagination
that
comes
into
play
by
the
time
I'm
sleeping
and
dreaming.
How
well
did
Ahmedabad
receive
you?
So
far
we've
only
heard
about
Gujarat
as
a
state
but
the
cities
were
not
explored
too
much
in
detail
probably
because
we
don't
shoot
any
films
there.
But
Ahmedabad
is
so
cosmopolitan.
The
time
I
got
out
from
the
airport
till
the
time
I
was
being
escorted
to
the
sets,
I
was
shocked
to
see
the
clean
roads,
big
roads,
big
malls,
etc.
The
people
are
insanely
hospitable.
We
had
food
coming
by
the
kilos
on
the
sets.
We
had
lots
of
foodies
(laughs).
It
was
amazing.
Everyone
was
warm
and
supremely
nice.
Today
I
really
miss
the
city.
What
have
you
still
not
learnt
from
the
time
you've
spent
in
the
industry?
Nice
question.
I'm
still
trying
to
learn
the
art
of
laughing
in
front
of
the
camera
(laughs).
I've
cried
my
guts
out
in
Aawarapan
and
now
in
Hide
&
Seek
too
I'm
quite
serious
and
shocked.
I
want
to
be
the
happy
person
in
front
of
the
camera.
Would
you
like
to
work
with
Apoorva
Lakhia
the
director?
Why
not?
Yes.
But
with
all
due
respects,
let's
also
give
credit
to
this
wonderful
new
talent
Shawn
Arranha
too.
He
was
someone
I
had
never
met
in
any
social
gatherings
too.
But
what
instigated
me
to
do
this
film
was
his
narration,
his
ideology
and
his
conviction
in
the
film
he
was
planning
to
make.
Then
followed
my
character.
Yes,
it
is
an
Apoorva
Lakhia
film
as
a
producer.
He
too
is
happy
about
his
first
maiden
production
venture.