Sixteen years after she charmed the pants off of the audience as the younger Poo (Pooja Sharma, played by Kareena Kapoor) in Karan Johar’s Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham (K3G), Malvika Raaj is set for a grown-up debut as Emraan Hashmi’s love interest in the Tony D’Souza directed Captain Nawab, in which the 38-year-old actor plays an army officer.

Malvika admits that after a month-and-a-half of auditions and look tests, she is glad to have bagged the part.

“It’s a performance-oriented role. I liked the script. As part of my prep, I will be learning Urdu and Punjabi and have already begun workshop,” informs the actress, adding that Emraan will join the workshop after the release of Baadshaho. She is looking forward to meeting her co-star. “His 2008 film Jannat is one of my favourites. I start shooting in mid-October in Mumbai, Emraan starts before me,” she informs, admitting that although she had known she wanted to be an actress even before K3G happened, the film only cemented her resolve.

After K3G, Malvika’s father insisted that she complete her studies before pursuing films further. “I graduated in commerce but continued training in dance and martial arts and also learnt acting from Anupam Kher’s institute. I was not the best in studies but remained at the forefront in extra-curriculars like dramatics and dance,” she says, adding that she had become quite popular among peers after K3G released. “I loved every bit of the attention.”