Entertainment Home: February 2009

Delicately boned with a face that can launch a million products, A student of psychology Amrita was always fascinated by acting, but never in her wildest dreams had she thought that one day she would pursue it - "Especially because I had no contacts in the film industry at all. I thought it was tough battle if one wanted to establish oneself here. I guess I was destined to be here!"

Having modeled for nearly 35 ads, her decision to act in films didn't come as a surprise. What came as a surprise was that unlike other models who dropped out of college to pursue their careers, Amrita Rao preferred to thumb down film offers to complete her graduation in psychology. And she has a word of advise for all those aspiring to make it big in this profession. "Don't be disillusioned and depressed if you don't get a worthy opportunity here. There are other fields you can excel in!"

Her first modeling assignment was for a fairness cream. "When I was told I would have to audition for it, I said, "Audition?" The word itself made me feel jittery. Thankfully I was not camera conscious. The little bit of acting that I did after reading the storyboard appealed to them. I got through it successfully," she laughs. But it was the Close-up toothpaste ad that made her a familiar face in the ad world.

If the Close-up ad fetched her recognition, the Cadbury's Perk ad offered her platform to step into films. "You know Perk and Liril are two brands that get you noticed as a model. The girl always stands out in the ads," she says. Perk had the beautiful but hungry Amrita dressed in bridal attire eagerly waiting for the moon to be seen, but even before it appears her hubby hands her a perk that has a smiling with delight. "Raj Kanwar saw that ad and got touch with me. He told me about Ab Ke Baras and how it was Arya Babbar's launch vehicle and that I was perfect to play the lead opposite him in the film."

She continues, "There are several reasons why I decided to choose Ab Ke Baras as my first film. Firstly Raj Kanwar is one director who has given several hit films like Deewana, Judaai, Laadla. Secondly, I was making a debut opposite Arya, who is Raj Babbar's son, and we all know what an excellent actor Rajji is. And thirdly and most importantly or critically, it is the role that I get to play in the film. Since Ab Ke Baras has a reincarnation theme and I get to portray two different characters in the film. I could not have asked for anything better. Otherwise what do newcomers get to do in their first film-dance over a couple of songs, say a few dialogues and that's it!"

Rajkumar Santoshi approached Amrita after seeing her in a coffee ad. "In fact, Santoshi was one of the directors who had contacted me after watching the Perk ad. I had to turn down his film offer because I wanted to concentrate on my studies. When he approached me for The Legend Of Bhagat Singh, Rajkumar Santoshi made it clear to me that it was very brief role and would not require more than five days to complete it. I agreed immediately because I got to play Bhagat Singh's fiancé. Few know about her. The sacrifice she makes by living as his widow even though they never marry. The character does leave its impact in the film."

Besides Legend Of Bhagat Singh Amrita Rao was also seen in Ken Ghosh's Ishq Vishq. Fortunately for her, the film became a hit. Amrita made her presence felt in the film.

Apart from acting what other hobbies did she pursue? "I like to read! But I don't have the patience to read a whole novel so I prefer to read those books that have stories in them. Like recently I enjoyed reading Chitra Banerjee's book called Arranged Marriage. I also relish reading short stories written by Jeffery Archer." What about film magazines? How did she intend dealing with the gossip press? "It does hurt reading malicious articles especially when people know who you are. I guess I will have to learn to take things in my stride," she smilingly concluded.