After her mega Bollywood launch opposite a superstar, Daisy Shah struggled to get a foothold in the industry .But it has been worth her while as she awaits the release of her next flick, the erotic thriller Hate Story 3. The girl has shed her inhibitions along with some kilos and has upped her glamour quotient and confidence to come into her own. By the actress' own admission, she was initially apprehensive about “kissing a stranger on screen“, but she effortlessly slipped into her new avatar. Excerpts:

You seem to have shed weight. We hear that Salman Khan lent you his trainer...
On the weighing scale, I have hardly lost four to five kilos, but I have lost a lot of inches. I have been working with Salman's trainer Rakesh since two years now, but this time around, he pushed me harder in terms of diet and workout.

How do you define your equation with Salman? Is he your 2 am friend?
I am fortunate enough to have that kind of access to him, but I won't take advantage of this fact. Salman can be a mentor, friend and Hitler, depending on the situation. He dons different roles for those he likes. But if I know he is sleeping at 2 am, I won't call him (laughs).

Was it difficult to portray a bold character in this film?
Anyone can pull off the girl-next-door role, but characters like these test your abilities. I was skeptical because I felt that I was not mentally ready and even my body wasn't ready to pull this off. To add to that, I had to kiss a stranger on screen. I convinced myself after seeking advice from my trusted ones. My cast and crew made me comfortable while enacting the bold scenes in the song. It was shot towards the end of the schedule, and it helped as my co-stars and I had bonded well by then. I was so engrossed in my character that I wasn't Daisy anymore.

So, are you more comfortable with your body now?
I was comfortable with it even in Jai Ho, as the role didn't require me to look svelte with toned abs and arms. Having said that, if I had that kind of a figure, it would have looked good. But it's never too late. I am a foodie and had to give up on junk food for five months and the results are showing. I second that abs are made in the kitchen and not at the gym.

How did your family react to your intimate scenes?
I hail from a progressive Gujarati family. In fact, my mother and I catch up on Hollywood films together. When I showed her the trailer of my movie, she felt that it was aesthetically shot. She said, 'We are all adults. And what else do you wear other than bra while dancing? So, where is the problem?'

Have you set any boundaries when it comes to boldness?
As seen in the trailer, Zareen (Khan) and I have gone all out. This is the zero point for me and one can't show anything beyond this. Bollywood has its own limitations. The era of drawing two flowers closer as a reference to lovemaking is passé. Today, you can't fake it and people keep it more real. We get to see such scenes in several other movies, but it's just that our film is termed an erotic thriller.

Jai Ho did not do well at box office. When you look back, what do you think went wrong?
I completely disagree. The movie, which was made on a budget of Rs 60 crore, did a business of Rs 126 crore solely in India. If we had hiked the ticket rate, the collection would have doubled. A film with the tagline 'People's man' can't burn a hole in the common man's pocket. But people, including critics, don't want to acknowledge certain things and get caught in the number game. It was my debut movie and I am proud of the fact that it crossed the Rs 100 cr mark. If Jai Ho is a flop, I want Hate Story 3 to do similar business and would like the critics to declare it a flop, too. If one movie of Salman is criticised, it won't affect his stature. But if newcomers are criticised, they get affected. They are ruining others' careers, which isn't right. They had to pinpoint at someone and unfortunately, I became an easy target. But they failed to understand that audiences didn't go to watch me, they went to see Salman Khan.

With your second film Hate Story 3 up for release, do you think your struggles are behind you now?
After Jai Ho, it was tough and I was struggling. I wasn't getting great offers. They thought I was fat in Jai Ho, but then the role didn't require me to be stick thin. However, if that was their assessment, then maybe I didn't work too hard and wasn't ready for a debut. I started my career as an assistant choreographer. In this industry, you get slotted in a particular category and people still have a mental block against me because I was an assistant choreographer. There are many actresses who think that the one who taught them dancing can't be competing with them. There is a fear of competition, which I think is required as long as it's healthy. But it's difficult to fight this stereotype mentality.

Do you relate with the movie's tagline 'Open Love Hidden Hate'?
I believe in open love and open hate. Pyaar karo, khule dil se karo, nafrat bhi karo toh khule dil se karo. Peeth peeche kuchh bhi na karo.