As told to Ankita Chaurasia (MUMBAI MIRROR; April 10, 2020)

Interestingly, Rehnaa Hai Terre Dil Mein (RHTDM; right) was not the first film I shot for. It was not even the first film I signed. My first break came a month after winning the Miss Asia Pacific title on December 3, 2000, when I bumped into Anil Kapoor and Anupam Kher outside a five-star in Hyderabad, where I was celebrating my victory.

It was awkward as I was in a white saree with the crown on my head. They walked up and introduced themselves. I wanted to scream that I already knew who they were and was a fan of their work. Anil informed that Anupam was going to direct a film (Om Jai Jagadish), in which he would act, and that they were keen to sign me. When I told them that I didn’t know if I was ready for films yet and that my parents might not agree, Anupam volunteered to convince them. Even though we would watch every film that released in the theatres and on Doordarshan, my parents didn’t know much about how films worked. Anupam called them up and assured them that I would be safe and taken care of.

Soon after, I was put into a workshop conducted by Feroz Abbas Khan. Twelve days into it, Anupam informed me that the producer of our film, Vashu Bhagnani, was in a quandary as the leading lady of one of his other films had exited last-minute and the rest of the team had already started filming in Cape Town. He asked me if I would be willing to step in. That’s how, with a four-day notice, I flew to South Africa to shoot for Deewaanapan with Arjun Rampal.

As soon as I landed, I was put in costume and make-up, and sent off to an outdoor location to shoot for the song, “Hum Deewane”. I was clueless about what I was supposed to do and simply followed instructions. I loved to dance so the steps weren’t very difficult and I drew from Arjun’s energy. His (then) wife Mehr Jesia and he had been on the judges panel during the pageant.

I heard the script of my first film after shooting the song. During the shoot, I would bombard my director, Ashuu Trikha, with questions about editing, light angles and lensing. Before I completed the film, I landed RHTDM, which got completed and was released earlier. My first shot for that one was where Reena tells Maddy that she thinks she loves him. It was freezing cold but beautiful. Later, in New Zealand, we were picturising songs for both films simultaneously, rushing through costume changes in-between. By the time we were done, I had enough lessons to last a lifetime.