This is the latest interview of our Miss.....she explains about her love life or the lack of it and more.
"Why do you want to interview me? I have nothing to say." Standard disclaimer from Ms Thottumkal. I am on 'ignore' mode. So she tries the next tack. "My answers are not exciting..." Okay then we'll just have to make the questions interesting won't we? Let's see, now there's enough stuff to get the reader all perked up. Mostly about some really famous males of the species. Salman Khan, Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Shahid Kapoor... "God, where do you dig up these things from," she asks incredulously. And the current reigning queen of mind-numbing political correctness directs a cheeky smile at me. As usual the more interesting interview is the one that happens off record. Alas alack
Sprawled on an extremely puffy recliner at her 14th floor apartment, she looks fresh as mint. She tempts me with chocolate and chips both of which I learn are her favourite food. She talks nineteen million to the dozen. After about two and half hours of girlie yak yak I almost forget that I have an assignment on hand. Somewhere between gorging on her mom's puttu (steamed rice cakes) and honey and explaining to her how we bring out a magazine each fortnight (she is really interested in this kind of stuff) we both remember with a start that there's an interview to do. On comes the dictaphone and off goes the Asin who is unguarded and garrulous. Taking her place is someone who could give both Madhuri Dixit and Sridevi a serious run in the 'No I don't recognise this controversial question so I am going to pretend I don't know the answer' sort of interview
It's been a quiet year on the movie front but she managed to keep the media interested. She rolls her eyes as I tell her that. "Media is interested in what people had for breakfast. So what's new," she shrugs her petite shoulders. In fact, she shrugs a lot throughout the interview. It's a very 'shruggy' kinda interview.
A quiet year, no releases, just one film on hand (Ready) currently and the last film (London Dreams) didn't exactly set the box office on fire. Plus she has earned herself the precarious tag of 'choosy'. She refutes brilliantly, "If it has been a quiet year and if my last flop has given me a setback why are people still talking about me? Why am I still in the news? And can one flop really kill someone's career?" She continues strongly, "I may be a newcomer here but I am not new to the film world. I have been working for the last 10 years and I have seen enough number of hits and flops to know that one hit or one flop can't make or break your life." Okay, to her credit all the films she was supposedly offered and refused like Delhi-6 and Karthik Calling Karthik nosedived but what was the whole dillydallying with Anurag Basu's Silence? She counters, "Not once have I mentioned in print or elsewhere that I have been signed on for the film or that I am in the reckoning for the role. So why should I offer any explanations now? The media anyway has been drawing its own conclusions." Touche.
Hmmmm I see more refutations coming my way. But she is smiling. And seems unfazed. She says that nothing bothers her anymore. Not the hype after Ghajini, not the lull right now. "How can I answer whether I have lived upto the hype? I am two films old in this industry. I have a long way to go. And like I said if there is no buzz surrounding me why is the question even being raised? No one should even be bringing up the topic if the hype has died down."
Right! Okay let's move on to the captain of the Indian cricket team. She rolls her eyes and shrugs her shoulders. Did I mention she shrugs a lot? So what about it she wants to know? Well just that there were heavy rumours about the two of them and suddenly he goes and gets hitched. She throws me a mysterious Mona Lisa smile and says, "Again did I ever say anything about this? Only the media kept speculating. No, I wasn't shocked that he got married out of the blue. I knew he was dating Sakshi Singh." And about him coming over to watch the World Cup Final at her place she remarks, "He is a friend. Don't friends hang out with each other? What's the big deal if Dhoni came home to watch the match? We met at the ad shoot we did together and have stayed in touch ever since. That's all."
No that's not all. Didn't she bump into Mr and Mrs Dhoni in Sri Lanka where she was shooting for Ready and it was supposedly an awkward moment? "No! I didn't," she exclaims. "I was back in India when that story came out. Unless I could have been in two places at the same time I don't see how that would have been possible."
"Enough about Dhoni! God, you guys are obsessed," she says with yet another dramatic rolling of the eyes. Okay, enough about him but we ain't done yet. What does she have to say to the story that she and Shahid Kapoor got friendly during an ad shoot and Priyanka Chopra was none too pleased when she dropped in on the sets? "Someone's mind is creative and working overtime for sure," she says in an acerbic tone. "I didn't even know if Priyanka visited the sets or not the day I shot with Shahid. So where is the question of cold vibes between us? As far as rumours go this one takes the cake," she says with yet another shrug. But I point out that logic states there can't be smoke without fire. "Well then in this case, somehow the smoke is without any fire," she retorts. "Like in the case of Salman Khan also. It's just stupid to link us up. So unimaginative to do that just because we were in a film together."
And despite stray link-ups she is steadily single. About the mingling bit she says, "I would mingle if I find the right guy. I don't mind dating an actor or anyone for that matter but I have to like that person first. I don't have a checklist that I mentally tick off when I meet a guy. But there has to be a connect, some chemistry. I am not desperate to date just anyone." Yes yes that's pretty straightforward logic we agree. "Till then I am happy being single..." she says with yet another, you guessed it, shrug of the shoulders
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