Steamy music videos, bold item numbers, and negative roles - this Bengali bombshell has done it all! She ruffled feathers with an MMS depicting a shower with Fardeen Khan but there's nothing sleazy about her. Model-turned-actress Koena Mitra is a refreshing slice of urban life...
Koena is on the phone to her friend in London. 'You have to see EK KHILADI EK HASEENA, she enthuses. "Oh, you would love it! You would relate to it." I saw the film prior to the interview, and my impressions were: a slick, contemporary movie that targets an urban audience. It's about a gang of conmen [and a woman!]. What they get up to, unapologetically, is: sex, alcohol, stealing, and gun toting - when they're not backstabbing each other.
For someone who made her Bollywood debut with a raunchy item number (ROAD), wasn't it a risk to do MUSAFIR and EK KHILADI EK HASEENA, where she was required to play a conwoman? "Well, I agree that doing an item number is not the right debut vehicle in Bollywood. Looking back at my experience, I feel that an actress should not make her debut with an item number. Filmmakers then tend to look upon her as someone who is only appropriate for dance numbers - and are not willing to explore her talent as an actress. After my item number in ROAD, filmmakers would call only to ask if I would do an item number in their film. I was offered 'Aisa jadoo dala re' from KHAKEE, the title song of KAAL, and a song from MANGAL PANDEY but I politely turned them down. I took a firm stance because I'm not the kind of actress whose sole interest is sex appeal."
Even MUSAFIR had little other than the item number, 'Saaqi', I persist. Blink and you could miss her. Why did she sign on such a miniscule role? "The film was directed by Sanjay Gupta, for one. It starred veteran actors Anil Kapoor and Sanjay Dutt. This ensured that audiences would see the film. My role too had some meat; though it was short, I made an impact."
Seems like her hard work and strategizing paid off. EK KHILADI EK HASEENA is a feather in Koena's hat. A lot of people warned me against signing the film. They were worried that I would end up playing a glamorous moll while all the action would be centered on the men. But I had faith in the filmmaker. And I was not disappointed; there is a lot of substance in my character. I play a psychiatrist who turns into a con artist under the influence of her boyfriend - and ultimately cons him!"
What of the steamy MMS that was circulated as a choreographed publicity stint prior to the release of the film? Didn't she feel in the least bit awkward? "Why would I feel awkward? I wasn't caught on candid camera! The shower sequence was an integral part of the film. So why would it make a difference to me if the scene was being viewed as an MMS clip prior to the theatre?"
Well, the future looks bright for this bold babe.
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