Anushka Shetty, who has starred in Tamil and Telugu blockbusters like Singham 1 and 2 and Vikramarkudu, will next be seen in the Rajinikanth starrer Lingaa.

Is she aware that her co-star Sonakshi Sinha stepped into her shoes in Rowdy Rathore, the Hindi remake of Vikramarkundu? “I did see the posters!“ she admits. “But while shooting Lingaa we didn't get a chance to hang out as she's part of a different time frame in the film while I appear in the present version.“

And what was it like working with Rajinikanth? The actress insists she isn't overwhelmed by his superstardom. “I've been here long enough. I don't look at actors as stars. For me, they are people--flesh and blood, mind and heart. He's perhaps the most humble superstar,“ she says.

Unlike many of her counterparts, Anushka maintains that the director, not the script or her co-star, is the decisive factor in her picks.“That is why I collaborate with directors more than once. I'm working with SS Rajamouli, who directed me in the original Rowdy Rathore, again in Bahubali. The director understands your strengths and limitations as a performer and extracts the best,“ she asserts. She would have made her Bollywood debut in the Ajay Devgn-starrer Singham, but the role went to Kajal Aggrawal. “There were some teething problems involving work ethics,“ she says. And she doesn't want a repeat of the experience and says, “I understand Bollywood offers more exposure but that has never been my priority.“