There is more to Jaipur girl Ruhi Singh (Miss Universal Peace and Humanity 2014) than her ravishing looks and glamorous image. She stuns us with her keen interest in quantum physics and science fiction. She is a fitness freak who lives on butter naan and butter chicken. Cool, confident and bindaas, Ruhi exudes the casual demeanour of the girl next door. Over a scrumptious plate of mirchi pakodas, the actress speaks of her various talents, cynical take on love and her upcoming film Ishq Forever.

Did your family have any reservations about your Bollywood dreams?
My grandfather played a pivotal role in my upbringing. I am from Rajasthan, and while most believe that people from there are conservative, my family is completely opposite. They have always believed in women empowerment. They gave me the freedom to choose what I want to. They valued my opinions. There's no restriction on the clothes we wear, food we eat or the hours we stay out.

What's your character in Ishq Forever like?
The film is a simple, clean romcom that can appeal to all age groups. I play Ria, who is the protagonist. She studies in Cape Town but hasn't seen much of life. That's why she wants to explore the world. She loses her freedom when her dad becomes a Prime Minister. So she gets on this journey of winning her freedom back. Jaaved Jaaferi and Lisa Ray play crucial roles in the film and working with them was a fantastic experience. Lisa is a fighter and an inspiration to many and Jaaved has a great sense of humour.

We heard that your co-star Krishna Chaturvedi and you did 33 retakes for a kissing scene.
Yes, we did, but it was not because we are bad at kissing. Krishna and I were perfect in the first take itself and we were very comfortable doing it. The kiss is a part of the song and our choreographer is a perfectionist. He wanted various angles for the kiss. That's why we needed 33 takes.

As far as kissing is concerned, on a scale of 1 to 10, how would you rate yourself and Krishna?
On kissing, I would rate myself a 10/10 and Krishna a 8/10.

Like Ria, are you looking for a prince charming in real life too?
I don't think my prince charming exists.

Isn't that being a bit cynical?
It is because I am yet to fall in love.

What are you looking for in a guy?
He should be handsome and respectful towards me and my opinions. He should be chivalrous, self-made and give me the freedom to make my choices. I don't think I have met that person yet.

Any celebrity who fits the bill?
I have been a huge Salman Khan fan forever. I watch his films first day, first show. He looked so hot in O oh jaane jaana, on that bike with the guitar.

And the actresses you look up to?
Coming from a Miss India background, Priyanka Chopra is definitely my inspiration. She has opened doors for young girls who dare to dream. She has made room for opportunities which we never imagined before. Some day, I would like to release my song album too .Also, Kangana's acting skills are out of this world. She has changed the game in Bollywood.

Any lesser-known facts about you?
I am a cleanliness freak. I get irritated when things are not in place. Even my vanity van needs to be organised and spotless. I am also interested in quantum physics and sci-fi films.

What's next?
I am doing a Tamil film called Bongu, where I play a car hacker. I am trained in Kung Fu. This gave me an opportunity to show off my action skills. I'd love to do something like that in Bollywood, too.