<div class="section1"><div class="Normal"><script language="javascript" src="Config?Configid=43376741"></script></div> <div align="left" style="position:relative; left: -2"><table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2" align="left" border="1" width="77.7%"> <colgroup> <col width="100.0%" /> </colgroup> <tr valign="top"> <td width="100.0%" colspan="1" rowspan="1" style="" valign:="" top="" background-color:="" f3f3f3=""> <div class="Normal"><a href="javascript:popUp("1;photopop?msid=186528&type=0"1;)"> <img border="0" align="left" src="/cms.dll/thumb?height=275&width=275&photoID=186528" hspace="12"" /></a></div> </td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="100.0%" colspan="1" rowspan="1" style="" valign:="" top="" background-color:="" f3f3f3=""> <div class="Normal"><span style="" font-size:="">Click to enlarge picture</span></div> </td> </tr> </table></div> <div class="Normal">She wears the garb of a rock-solid man, who can take a 360 degree spin and deliver a swirling kick, dart ahead to take buckshot, or somersault to attack the perpetrator.
She''s the woman who commands, takes charge of her life and then takes over the world. <br /><br />The sensitivity and sensuality of woman, augmented with the bodily prowess of man -– that''s Sushmita Sen for you. On-screen and off-duty, in reel and real life. The roles are similar; the woman-in-power -– Sushmita. <br /><br />In <span style="" font-style:="" italic="">Samay – When Time Strikes</span>, she plays the protagonist, a cop who is on a wild chase to solve a devious crime. And when official duty as ACP is done, the star plays a dual role at home, too. A single woman, playing father and mother to a single child. Just as brilliantly, she dons the roles in her own life. <br /><br />Keep a watchful eye out for her -- she''s the cover-up cop, she''ll just sprint, shoot and leave you arrested... <br /><br /><span style="" font-weight:="" bold="">You''ve played a cop in </span><span style="" font-weight:="" bold="" font-style:="" italic="">Aaghaaz</span><span style="" font-weight:="" bold="">. This is the second time we will be seeing you play this role. Did you work hard at preparing for it?</span><br /><br /><span style="" font-style:="" italic="">Samay</span> is an out-and-out cop flick. I''m playing the role of ACP Malvika Chauhan of the crime branch. Not the cop in uniform; instead, the cop formally dressed in civilian clothes. <br /><br />In Indian cinema we can imagine a police officer only in uniform; not wearing the garb makes the on-screen portrayal even more difficult. You have to work on the body language, your walk, your speech and everything else that adds to the personality of a police officer in charge. <br /><br />So with just the way I walked into the room and my style of dressing (in formal pants and jackets), I had to display authority and command as a cop."<br /><br /><span style="" font-weight:="" bold="">How does it feel donning a role that''s conventionally played by the brawny action-heroes of the industry?</span><br /><br />Well, it feels great playing the role of a cop. This film was written keeping a man in mind, and then, when the director took the script to iDream Productions, they absolutely loved it. They decided to leave the script untouched, and simply replace the male protagonist (cop) with a female. So you can well imagine how exciting this film has been.<br /><br /><span style="" font-weight:="" bold="">Are all Sushmita Sen films going to be women-oriented stories? You always want to be the woman-in-power, is it?</span><br /><br />No, not really. I''ve been not so aggressive as far as my career is concerned. I''ve not done the kind of PR that''s necessary to get visibility. Whatever I''ve got so far is because, firstly, I''ve been lucky. Secondly, I''m deserving of it. As I have myself matured as an actress, I see filmmakers approaching me with a certain kind of film in mind. Like, <span style="" font-style:="" italic="">Samay</span> is an experimental film, <span style="" font-style:="" italic="">Filhaal</span> was an emotional film and, similarly, the English remake of <span style="" font-style:="" italic="">Astitva</span> is a highly sensitive and emotional film that brings to fore a beautiful maze of emotions.<br /><br /><span style="" font-weight:="" bold="">Do you think there is a dearth of author-backed roles for women in the industry?</span><br /><br />Whether it is actor or actress, I think what we truly lack today is a good script sense. We have a tendency to work on an already approved formula in the industry, so much that we are scared to experiment with anything that is new and unheard of. <br /><br />So I don''t envy the men at all, because I feel they are constantly doing the same thing over and over again. The face of the director and hero changes, but the final product remains the same. By that standard, the entire film industry is suffering; it''s not just the women who are at the losing end. <br /><br />If our audiences start reacting to different kinds of cinema, our filmmakers and distributors will be compelled to take risks and work on different scripts." <br /><br /><span style="" font-weight:="" bold="">Well, don''t you think we are already moving towards that change?</span> <br /><br />Yes, gradually we are. For instance, I think Ram Gopal Varma is a very sensible filmmaker. He has taken a few risks; some have worked and some haven''t. But his timing is very good, along with his exciting scripts. His films emerge at a time when people''s mindsets are ready for just that change that he''s trying to bring about.<br /><br /><span style="" font-weight:="" bold="">So have you bid adieu to all those item numbers and running around trees? Sushmita means only serious business now?</span><br /><br />I think the first few years of being an actress, I accepted any and all kinds of roles. But back then I was like a baby in the industry. I was still trying to learn the ropes, grope for the right anchor and learn my way. As you grow older, you gather the years of experience and learn from it. <br /><br />I''ve grown in the same way. I don''t look for parallel or commercial cinema, I look for a role. I always put myself in the place of an audience and as myself: Do I like it? Is this what really entertains me? If I think it is not working, I don''t do it. <br /><br />It may be a hit script, but to my sensibilities it doesn''t work. Maybe I do films more for my audiences than for convincing people it is a great script. <br /><br /><span style="" font-weight:="" bold="">So you have no regrets about some of the roles from the past? </span><br /><br />All these films from the beginning of my career have been like my childhood years, and I can''t undo my childhood. None of us can go back and change it. Our childhood creates our persona and that is earned with all these years of work. I have no regrets about the past or the present.<br /><br /><span style="" font-weight:="" bold="">Okay, ACP Malvika Chauhan, sin to you is...</span><br /><br />Like there is no right or wrong, there''s nothing like sin. Whatever you can live with is fine. Whatever you can''t live with, is sin. </div> </div>
