To begin any Bollywood actress's interview by calling her 'different' is surely a cliché and you'd be ready to put it down to the interviewer's fancy, but here's something for starters – she readily admits she's not a huge cricket buff (though she doesn't mind the Twenty20)! Meet Amrita Arora, the Bollywood bombshell who made audiences sweat as she moved to the sardi of Dilli, and who has no qualms about wearing her sexuality on her sleeve.
Do you mind the 'sexy siren' tag? Do you think the image prevents you from getting more serious roles?
Not at all. I like being sexy and I think it is a woman's prerogative to be sexy! I don't fear the label, for I think 'serious' is a very hypothetical term. Does it mean being de-glam and doing rona dhona ? I think there'll be sexiness even in the de-glam Amrita.
You're quite the queen of item numbers. Are you still game for more?
Hey, I've done just one item number, Dilli ki sardi . People have the impression I've done more since most of my movies have popular numbers. Well yes, if someone offers me another item number that is to my taste and I like the track, I will be happy to do it.
You're one of the fittest actresses on the scene. How much effort goes into working out and dieting?
Lots...(and repeating it for emphasis)...lots! When you're 21, if your genes are good, you can eat like a pig and still stay in shape. But as you grow older, it requires a lot more effort. I do yoga thrice a week and weight training thrice a week. I do control my diet, but don't believe in not eating. And one day in the week is my 'cheat-day' when I let myself go completely mad and have all the cakes and chocolates. Being half south Indian, tairasadam (curd-rice) or sambar-rice is a must on that one day.
At a time when a lot of actresses are uncomfortable doing bold roles, you did the daring role of a lesbian in Girlfriend . What made you do that?
Well, the mindset of the average heroine here is still somewhat prudish, and they want to do the tried and tested roles. Girlfriend may be gone and buried now, but I did it for the right reasons, wanting to work on a subject that's important. Unfortunately, it got lost in a season of sleaze with movies like Hawas . I hope five years down the line, someone will handle the subject better and win accolades.
What are your upcoming projects?
I am trying to do really varied stuff. In Atul Agnihotri's Hello , I do a de-glam role of a girl addicted to substances. In Banda Ye Bindaas Hai , I play a Maharashtrian bai! Besides, Golmaal Returns is a laugh-riot, and Samir Karnik's Mera Bharat Mahaan is about four college students whose lives change when they go on a road trip through Ladakh and Punjab to make a film on the army.
You and sister Malaika seem to share a great chemistry on-screen. What's it like off-screen?
Even better! We're like peas in a pod. Growing up, I was always the naughty one while she was responsible, and she would even take shoutings for me. And till date, things haven't changed!
