On
why
she
participated
in
the
Miss
World
Pageant
in
1994:
“For
me,
it
went
beyond
being
a
beauty
queen.
For
me,
it
was
about
being
the
20-year-old
girl
from
India
on
international
platform
and
a
lot
of
people
actually
would
assume
that
I
wasn’t
even
educated
in
India
because
of
the
way
I’d
speak.
And
they’d
be
like,
‘Have
you
studied
in
India?
Do
you
actually
speak
English
out
there?’
and,
I
was
like,
‘This
is
so
interesting
that
so
many
people
know
so
little
about
my
country.’
and
this
is
exactly
what
I
wanted
to
do
when
I
set
out
on
this
little
mission
in
my
head.”
On
her
moving
from
architecture
to
films:
“I
was
studying
to
be
an
architect.
I
wasn’t
plotting
to
join
movies.
Films
were
just
another
career
option.
I
took
acting
up
with
the
same
school
girl
enthusiasm
as
I
had
for
examinations.
Acting
is
a
job
and
I
take
it
seriously.”
Playing
Umrao
Jaan:
"It
was
a
demanding
emotional
journey.
When
a
story
takes
that
course
it
is
following
an
entire
arch,
it
goes
through
all
possible
emotions.
The
process
was
satisfying,
inspiring
and
challenging.
It
forced
me
to
deliver
my
best.”
On
her
character
in
Dhoom:
2:
“It’s
the
kind
of
character
I
have
never
essayed
before.
Sunehiri,
my
character
in
the
film,
is
distinctly
different
from
any
other
character
you
have
seen
me
play.
That’s
what
makes
her
exciting
to
me.
For
the
first
time
in
my
life
I
went
through
a
bit
of
a
fitness
regime.
Contrary
to
popular
belief,
right
since
modeling,
to
the
(Miss
World)
title,
to
films,
I
have
never
been
a
fitness
freak
or
exercised.”