Anushka Sharma has achieved what very few actresses are able to in the world of Bollywood, the ability to remain honest real and secure. As Anurag Kashyap's Bombay Velvet releases today, in which she plays the role of a jazz singer Rosie, she talks to Bombay Times about why she respects Ranbir Kapoor, what keeps her secure and what made her cry on the set. Excerpts:

You worked with Ranbir Kapoor for the first time in Bombay Velvet. Talk about him.
Even though this is the first film that we have done together, we have known each other for many years and there is always a sense of comfort with him. We became friends and started hanging out and realised that we hit it of well. We have a very easy kind of friendship that helped in the film. When you see the chemistry in the film, you would have never seen it before. When I read the script, I didn't know who the actor would be, but I knew that whoever it would be, the chemistry needed to be so easy and good. And Ranbir and me have that naturally with each other. I feel very comfortable in his presence. I can't work with someone just because someone is popular or loved. I have respect for Ranbir for the kind of actor he is and also with what he has done with his stardom. The kind of films he has picked up, empowering so many movies that have got funded because of him. He has created that kind of dependability that if it is a Ranbir Kapoor film, it must be good. Also, he is very nice to people and treats everyone with equality. Often, people think that it's okay to be treating people basis their position or what they can give you. Because I am not like that with my dealings and so is Ranbir not like that. He will always makes people comfortable around him, does not take himself too seriously and that is a beautiful thing. He is very secure as an actor, has that faith in his directors and according to me, Bombay Velvet is his best performance as an actor. He has no inhibition, no judgement about mai kaisa lagoonga and there are no insecurities in him and it is so refreshing to see that. I like working with such kind of people and I feel that actors should be that way only.

You have now worked with some of the finest directors of Bollywood. Talk about working with Anurag Kashyap?
What I appreciate about him is his ability to see normal things in a different way and presenting you like hat. He is not filmi or predictable that way. Usually, when someone narrates you a script, you are able to ell what is going to happen next. With Anurag, you can't tell what is going to happen and I like that. With him, nothing phases him working on a set, given that he scale of this film is so huge. Things do go wrong and people do lose their cool, but he takes every hing in his stride on the set. That is a great quality as you can maintain your ocus. He will bring out a different side of you and be it Ranbir as Johnny Balraj or me as Rosie, they are both very different from what we are in real lives.

Anurag told me you had no insecurities as an actress even though you did not get to dance in this film. I too have observed how you never plant a wrong story in the media and don't run down your competitors What makes you so secure?
I am secure as I don't have preconceived notions about things. I have made my career and made a pretty successful career out of being the way I am, so it works for me. As actresses we don't have the choices that a male actor has. So with limited choices, you try and make smart decisions and reinvent yourself as an actor. So, I have done things that work for me. I am very clear of what I want and that's why I don't have insecurities. I don't have a target of how many releases I want in a year. I didn't have a release for two years and I was fine with that and in seven months, I have four releases and I am also fine with that. You are as good as your last Friday. You don't have to be seen all the time. You do one great film and you are again right up there, so for me, it's only about doing good work and the problem is that I am saying such a simple thing but it sounds like a cliché as it has become like that, but it is my ultimate truth. With every film, I would like you to feel that this girl has outdone herself with her last film. I want you to develop into a space where you know that if she is in that film, it must be a good film. I want to be a bankable actor, but I have no targets of being No 1, 2 or 3.

Anurag told me you and Ranbir used to fight almost like siblings on set so much so that one day, you actually started crying. What happened?
The thing with Ranbir and me is that we are great buddies and it's true that we do bicker like siblings. One particular day, I had to perform and he was just annoying me. He kept saying, 'Why is your hand here? Why is that there?' So I told him, 'Are you Anurag? Then just keep quiet.' Ranbir knew that I was irritated with him, but when he realises that I am getting irritated, he irritates you even more and I also know that he is irritating me but I still get more irritated. That day, it reached a point where I couldn't take it anymore and I had no more words left in my mouth to fight with him and I didn't want to fight with him, so I went out and started full on weeping. No one saw me, but my mike was still on while I was crying, so Anurag could hear it. He immediately came to me outside and I said,  'Ranbir can't do that.' Anurag said, 'You want me to scream at him?' Now that day, nobody scolded Ranbir but he has come to know that I was crying. When you will see that scene, you will feel it is such a romantic scene, but no one knows what happened before that. After the shoot got over, Ranbir came to me and said, 'Today I troubled you too much no? Ok sorry, I won't do it again.'

Why do you think there was so much negativity around the film initially?
There is a lot that has been said about the film, but ultimately, you can't keep combating these things by talking. We believed in the film and now that I have seen the film, I loved it. I cannot sell a film to anybody that you come and watch my film, but I am very proud of it. It's like a gift to me that I could be in that environment and that atmosphere that was created for us. This is the kind of film that people have not seen before in India.