The promos of Ready are looking good. Are you excited? Yes. I am looking forward to it. The response to the theatrical trailer and a song that has been released is tremendous. It is getting good vibes from friends and the public. Ready is a commercial film but a clean family entertainer catering to all age groups from kids to chachas and chachis who will like it.

After Dabangg, there are a lot of expectations from a Salman Khan film. Does that make you apprehensive? No, I have never thought about that. I understand that the film comes after the blockbuster Dabangg, but Anees Bazmee (director) understands that space and it is definitely Salman’s forte. So, it should be fun.

 

How was your experience working with Anees? 

The film is basically a love story between Prem (Salman), and Sanjana who face many obstacles from Prem’s parents and Sanjana’s greedy uncles. That means there are many characters in the form of uncles, aunts and cousins in the film. At any point, there were 15-20 artistes on the sets. It was amazing how Anees handled all the actors and organised the shoot. I admire his ability, especially as he was shooting two other films simultaneously. Yet he would keep his cool, I have never heard him yelling on the sets.

 

Who in the South comes close to his style of filmmaking?

I don’t want to compare him with anyone, as he is in his own space. But yes, there are directors like C.S. Ravikumar who work with big stars and make commercial multi-star films.

 

What do you take away from Ready?

Shooting again with Salman right after London Dreams and interaction with all the character artistes like Mahesh Manjrekar and Anooradha Patel. We used to have long outdoor shoots in Sri Lanka and Thailand for which we used to travel in a big group, which is why there was good bonding on the sets.

 

You must have gone to Sri Lanka earlier for your South films.

Yes, but this was the first time I went there for a Hindi film and that too as a part of a big unit. Strangely, both Sri Lanka and Thailand have a lot of similarities to my home state Kerala. The greenery, elephants, food, seafood, the spices used, even the architecture in some places reminded me of Kerala. So, there was a feeling of being at home.

 

Ready is your second film with Salman. How was it working this time round?

London Dreams helped build a rapport with Salman that led to an easy interaction during Ready. Now, he is very fond of me. Also, he is a lot of fun. He used to constantly pull my leg. Salman as a person is very kind and has a big heart with genuine concern for people. If he likes you, he gives you a lot of support and not just because he wants to show off or create an image.

 

That’s what’s endearing about him. As an actor he is very spontaneous. You cannot predict what he will do in front of the camera because he improvises a lot. Consequently, you have to be on your guard and the antennae has to be on full alert.

 

Any memorable incidents that happened during the shoot?

(Ponders) Not really. However, there were some scenes shot in the jungles in Thailand. In Kanchanapuri nearby, there is this tiger temple, which I visited after the shoot. It’s basically run by Buddhist monks who keep tamed tigers and one can interact with them. I spent some time with them, fed tiger-cubs with bottled milk and played with them.

 

Of course, it was all done under the supervision of the monks. You can also go into the tigers’ enclosure and get their heads to rest on your lap and play with them. It was good fun.

 

Didn’t you eat some insects too?

Oh! That’s become big news. We were shooting with a Thai crew and I was just coming out of my vanity van. A lot of people had gathered around a bucket and Salman was coming towards with me with something in his hand.

 

I asked him what was happening and he said they were eating insects. He was also carrying one insect which he brought close to my face and said, Le lo. I just popped it in my mouth and ate it. Everyone was surprised because they had expected me to behave how heroines usually do — making a fuss, screaming and running away.

 

There are reports of Salman and you sharing a lip-lock.

(Cuts in) There is nothing of that sort. It’s just hype. Ready is a family film and there are no initimate scenes or sensational kisses. Salman has just given a peck on my cheek.

 

Ghajini had you both in the original and the remake. But Ready’s original has Genelia D’Souza in the lead. Yes, but unlike Ghajini, Ready has been completely changed from the original to suit the northern audience and of course, Salman, who is a superstar. Only the basic idea, that of families creating obstacles in the love story, is retained.

 

Another film of yours, Kavalan, is being remade as Bodyguard with Salman and Kareena Kapoor. Aren’t you feeling bad about missing out on it?

Not really. I am completely enjoying and basking in the attention for Ready.

 

Tell us about being a part of Housefull-2.

Sajid (Nadiadwala) and I always wanted to work together and the opportunity came with Housefull-2. I must say that the film has a mad team of Akshay Kumar and John Abraham. I am looking forward to it. However, I cannot tell you anything now because the film is yet to go on the floors.

 

What went wrong with Force which you were supposed to do?

It was a mutual decision. Force is the remake of my Telugu film Khakha Khakha with Venkatesh. It was supposed to be made sometime back. However, Nishikant (Kamat) wanted to make some changes in the script, which took a little time. In the meantime I was offered the Tamil film Kavalan and I asked Vipul (Shah, producer) if I should go ahead with it or not.

 

He said that Force will take time and I signed Kavalan. Later Vipul came back to me for Force, but by then I had committed my dates to Kavalan. So it was just a date clash. Vipul and Nishikant are very close to me and there’s no problem at all.