'I
Can't
Be
Constantly
Doing
Films
Like
'Neerja'
&
'Ek
Ladki
Ko
Dekha
Toh
Aisa
Laga'
'
Q.
Your
dad,
Anil
Kapoor
recently
said
that
your
selection
of
scripts
is
amazing
and
you
leave
him
spellbound
every
time.
What
do
you
have
to
say
about
his
thoughts?
A.
I
want
to
be
engaged
when
I
read
a
script.
I
don't
think
about
the
film's
fate
whether
it
will
work
at
the
box
office
or
not.
For
me,
choosing
to
do
'The
Zoya
Factor'
wasn't
a
difficult
decision
to
make
because
it's
a
easy,
breezy
film.
I
liked
the
character
and
thought
it
was
fun.
So,
I
decided
to
do
the
film.
Q.
The
quirkiness
of
Zoya
reminds
one
of
Mili
from
Khoobsurat.
Do
that
connect
with
you
as
well?
A.
Yes.
I
can't
be
constantly
doing
a
films
like
'Ek
Ladki
Ko
Dekha
Toh
Aisa
Laga'
or
'Neerja'.
I
have
to
once
in
a
while
break
it
with
some
easy
films
which
are
palatable
to
everybody.
'The
Zoya
Factor'
isn't
a
big-budget
film
at
all.
I
want
people
to
just
enjoy
themselves.
It's
an
easy
fun
and
I
had
fun
while
doing
it.
It's
not
derogatory
to
men
or
women
in
anyway.
But
at
the
same
time,
it's
a
positive
commercial
film.
'I
Used
To
Be
A
Mess'
Q.
There
was
a
time
when
people
thought
breezy
films
are
those
where
you
don't
need
to
put
in
your
brains.
But
now,
the
definition
has
changed
and
they
are
looked
upon
as
something
pleasing
but
also
meaningful.
Do
you
think
cinema
has
evolved
over
the
years?
A.
Cinema
has
obviously
evolved.
For
the
kind
of
films
that
I
have
been
a
part
of,
did
well
in
the
last
couple
of
months,
especially
the
small
films.
They
are
palatable
and
just
easy-breezy.
I
haven't
seen
'Chhichhore'
or
'Dream
Girl'
yet
but,
I
hear
that
they
are
fun
films
where
you
take
something
back
home.
I
won't
mind
going
with
my
girlfriends
to
watch
a
film
like
'The
Zoya
Factor'.
It's
not
brainless
but
at
the
same
time,
it's
a
sweet
romantic
comedy.
I
feel
girls
don't
have
these
kind
of
films
anymore.
I
hope
I
make
some
of
these
films.
I
think
there's
an
audience
for
such
films
and
we
disregard
them.
There
is
an
audience
for
a
Salman
Khan
or
Akshay
Kumar
or
Shahrukh
Khan
film.
At
the
same
time,
there's
an
audience
for
a
romantic
comedy
where
girls
can
take
their
boyfriends
and
be
like,
'This
is
my
kind
of
film
and
I
want
to
watch
it'.
Q.
How
much
do
you
relate
to
Zoya?
A.
I
relate
to
her
a
lot.
She
is
a
mess
and
I
used
to
be
like
that.
I
think
I
still
am.
(laughs)
Zoya's
professional
life
doesn't
go
as
her
expectations.
She
has
a
non-existence
love
life
and
boys
are
constantly
dumping
her.
Her
hair
is
never
the
way
she
wants
it
to
be.
Her
father
and
brother
are
obsessed
with
cricket
and
constantly
talk
about
it.
She
doesn't
have
anybody
to
talk
to
about
girl
stuff.
So,
her
life
is
a
mess.
'I
Don't
Want
To
Be
A
Decoration
In
A
Film'
Q.
'The
Zoya
Factor' is
based
on
Anuja
Chauhan's
novel.
Did
you
read
her
book
before
signing
the
film?
A.
I
am
a
big
fan
of
Anuja
Chauhan.
She
writes
modern-day
books
for
young
girls
and
I
read
the
book
in
2009-2010.
I
loved
it
a
lot,
but
the
book
rights
were
already
acquired.
So,
I
bought
the
rights
of
'Battle
Of
Bittora'
which
is
equally
amazing.
I
didn't
expect
'The
Zoya
Factor'
to
come
to
me,
but
it
did.
I
am
so
happy
that
I
bagged
this
role.
It's
like
playing
a
modern-day
Elizabeth
Bennet.
Q.
Today,
we
have
many
strong
female-characters
being
written
and
many
actresses
make
sure
that
their
roles
are
strong
irrespective
of
the
length.
How
do
you
pick
up
films?
A.
My
role
needs
to
be
impactful
irrespective
of
the
length
of
the
role.
The
character
should
be
able
to
take
the
story
forward
in
some
way.
I
don't
just
want
to
be
a
decoration
in
a
film.
'You
Don't
Want
To
See
Salman
Khan
Kiss
On
Screen'
Q.
Your
last
film,
'Ek
Ladki
Ko
Dekha
Toh
Aisa
Laga'
won
rave
reviews
and
failed
to
translate
into
box
office
numbers.
How
does
that
affect
you
as
an
artiste
and
a
producer?
A.
It's
one
of
my
best-reviewed
films.
But
I
think
the
audience
found
it
difficult
to
understand
it.
I
was
surprised
to
see
the
film
doing
well
on
OTT
platform.
The
only
thing
that
I
can
say
is
that
people
were
afraid
to
go
and
watch
the
film
especially
with
their
families.
I
am
yet
to
understand
why
that
happened.
Usually
when
a
film
gets
good
reviews
and
has
actors
whom
people
love
to
watch,
it
does
well.
However,
the
kind
of
respect
I
have
got
for
'Ek
Ladki
Ko
Dekha
Toh
Aisa
Laga'
is
insane.
A
lot
of
people
connected
with
me
after
watching
the
film
and
shared
that
they
have
come
out
to
their
friends
and
family.
For
me,
that
was
more
important.
In
India,
you
can't
see
a
straight
man
and
a
straight
girl
kiss
each
other.
Like,
you
don't
want
to
see
Salman
Khan
kiss
on-screen.
Now
imagine,
if
it's
about
two
girls
or
two
boys
kissing
each
other
each
other.
It
makes
people
squeamish.
We
wanted
to
normalize
it
without
making
people
uncomfortable
while
watching
it.
The
only
criticism
that
came
for
the
film
was
for
not
showing
the
physical
intimacy.
But,
my
director
never
wanted
to
explore
that
because
then,
the
film
would
become
about
that.
It
was
a
well-intentioned
film.
We
didn't
want
people
to
come
to
the
theatres
for
the
wrong
reasons.
We
wanted
people
to
understand
that
acceptance
from
yourself
and
your
family
is
important.
Love
is
love;
whether
it's
between
a
boy
and
a
girl,
a
girl
and
a
girl
or
a
boy
or
a
boy.
Q.
You
are
also
one
of
the
few
leading
ladies
who
busted
the
myth
of
'celebrity
flawlessness'
which
many
youngsters
aspire
to
you.
You
also
wrote
a
piece
titled
"I
Didn't
Wake
Up
Like
This",
where
you
spoke
about
how,
'It
takes
an
army,
a
lot
of
money,
and
an
incredible
amount
of
time
to
make
a
female
celebrity
look
the
way
she
does
when
you
see
her.
It
isn't
realistic,
and
it
isn't
anything
to
aspire
to.'...
A.
When
I
was
younger,
I
used
to
look
at
pictures
of
these
actresses
and
actors
and
I
was
like,
'I
will
never
be
like
that.'
I
was
overweight.
Today
because
social
media,
there's
a
lot
of
pressure
on
girls
and
boys
to
look
a
certain
look,
take
a
certain
holiday
or
put
certain
pictures
up.
It's
completely
unrealistic
and
people
go
into
depression
or
end
up
with
body-image
and
mental
issues.
They
get
a
lot
of
validation
from
what's
online
and
that's
very
scary.
Sometimes,
you
are
like
listen,
'This
is
how
I
am.'
If
you
think
you
want
to
be
like
me,
you
need
to
understand
that's
not
really
me.
What
you
see
in
media
or
Instagram
or
Facebook
is
not
always
real.
That's
why
I
always
insist
on
tagging
people
who
work
on
my
looks.
A
lot
of
actresses
just
don't
tag
people
in
their
posts.
I
was
like,
'No,
I
have
to
make
sure
that
everybody
who
has
worked
on
me,
has
to
be
given
the
credit'.
Without
any
of
these,
I
am
just
like
any
ordinary
Indian
girl.
It's
really
important
to
show
and
tell
people
that
it
takes
an
army
to
make
me
look
like
this.
It
doesn't
come
easy.
I
have
chosen
this
job
and
that's
why
I
want
to
or
have
to
look
like
this.
If
I
didn't,
I
didn't
have
to.
I
don't
want
young
girls
to
look
at
an
actress
and
be
like,
'Oh,
I
can
never
be
like
that'
and
then
have
self-image
issues.
I
don't
want
boys
to
be
like,
'Oh,
I
want
this
heroine'
and
then,
not
end
up
meeting
the
love
of
their
lives.
It's
responsible
to
show
the
real,
authentic
self
and
always
tell
the
truth
about
who
you
are.
'I
Have
Never
Rubbed
Anyone
In
The
Wrong
Way'
Q.
How
secure
do
you
feel
as
an
actress
and
do
you
get
affected
by
what
your
contemporaries
are
taking
up
in
terms
of
their
work?
A.
If
I
did
that
then
I
won't
be
able
to
make
the
choices
which
I
did.
I
feel
everybody
has
their
own
journey.
I
am
not
running
any
race;
I
am
there
for
the
long
run.
I
want
to
keep
working
till
the
end
of
my
life.
If
I
constantly
keep
a
tab
on
who
is
doing
what
then
I
will
burn
myself
out.
The
more
you
compete
with
other
people,
the
more
unhappy
you
get.
Q.
The
young
lot
of
actors
do
seem
to
gel
well
with
each
other...
A.
Whenever
I
ask
any
of
my
colleagues
to
do
any
videos
for
my
films,
they
always
end
up
doing
it.
I
think
it's
about
relationships
and
I
have
never
rubbed
anyone
in
the
wrong
way.
I
have
always
been
supportive
and
they
have
always
been
supportive
of
me.
I
don't
think
I
am
in
competition
with
anybody
so
there's
no
negativity
from
other
person
either.
I
think
that's
the
general
way
how
young
people
are
right
now.
'Young
People
Shouldn't
Have
Any
Regrets'
Q.
You
said
that
you
are
quite
content
with
your
choice
of
work.
But
is
there
any
particular
film
which
you
regretted
missing
out
on?
A.
I
wished
I
had
done
'Baahubali'.
But
I
was
doing
'Neerja'
at
that
time.
I
had
to
make
a
very
harsh
choice.
Even
'Tanu
Weds
Manu'.
I
had
said
'yes'
to
that
film.
I
eventually
ended
up
with
'Raanjhanaa'.
Sometimes,
it's
all
about
destiny.
(laughs)
Q.
How
critical
are
you
of
our
own
work?
Do
you
revisit
your
films
and
try
to
introspect
about
what
worked
for
you
and
what
didn't?
A.
I
don't
regret
anything.
Like
for
example,
let's
talk
about
'Tanu
Weds
Manu'.
I
never
spoke
about
being
offered
that
film.
It
was
Aanand
L.
Rai
who
revealed
it.
Thank
God!
I
wasn't
the
one
who
said
it
(laughs).
I
feel
at
that
point
in
my
career,
I
was
very
open
and
honest
with
him
and
he
liked
the
way
I
behaved
with
him.
He
told
me
that
he
liked
the
way
I
am
and
promised
me
to
offer
me
his
next
film.
That's
what
he
did.
I
feel
everything
happens
for
a
reason.
'Raanjhanaa'
changed
my
career
in
a
way
and
I
feel,
I
wouldn't
have
it
in
other
way.
'Baahubali'
was
an
amazing
film
and
I
wished
I
was
a
part
of
it.
But
at
same
time,
I
was
happy
doing
'Neerja'.
For
me,
everything
is
a
learning.
I
suggest
young
people
shouldn't
have
any
regrets
in
their
lives
because
everything
could
be
a
lesson
with
which
you
could
better
yourself.