Niharika, Jennifer laugh over catfight

Whoever thought of pitching former beauty queen and now actress Niharika Singh, who's doing two major films with Himesh Reshammiya, against Jennifer Kotwal who's done some Kannada films, against one another at the mahurat of Mudh Mudh Ke Na Dekh Mudh Mudh Ke last week, gets the prize for the most fertile publicity machinery on this side of the Bhatts.

Angry and amused Niharika says she barely knows her female co-star. "In fact, after reading about our so-called catfight at the mahurat Jennifer sms-ed me to say the article was such nonsense. I'm speechless. It's too outrageous to even react to."

It has been a tradition to pitch actresses against one another. From Sharmila-Raakhee during the making of Daag to Kareena-Priyanka Chopra in Aitraaz. But Niharika refuses to be sucked into a sham rivalry.

"I've met Jennifer. We've even shot stills for the film that we're doing together. I can't say we're buddies. We haven't spoken that much. But we've exchanged pleasantries. And we're certainly not fighting. After reading the totally fabricated article on Monday morning, she messaged me and we had a good laugh about it."

Nowadays generating interest in a film could assume any proportion, from killing off the hero in a manufactured accident to generating a fake rivalry between two leading ladies. "Cat fights in a rat race? We aren't cats and rats. We're girls," quips Niharika.