I never expected Alia Bhatt and Ranveer Singh to be so grounded and warm. It was a pleasure to work with them. Alia improvises a lot, which works wonders in every scene. Ranveer has warm words for everyone. He’s always watching what his co-actors are doing. He came to me so many times to say, ‘Kya shot diya!’

I was in the lift one day and a gentleman said that he loved my film. I thanked him but had to ask him which film he was talking about. It was Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani. Another person in the same lift congratulated me for Ardhangini, saying that he loved the story. It’s so fulfilling!

“Success comes and goes with each film; what remains is your attitude towards work. I work very hard for any film I do, especially if it challenges me. But success shouldn’t go to your head”

I feel Bollywood might typecast me after Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani because Anjali, the character I played, has a distinctive personality. I don’t want to land up with the same kind of role again. Even if offers come, they must be different from Anjali. But I must say, the hospitality of the cast and crew there (in Mumbai) was incredible. The attitude they have towards actors who have come from other industries is praiseworthy. They made me feel at home and not worry about anything.

It will be a family time for us as Ujaan will be in town. We might go for a holiday, but nothing has been finalized yet. But if we are in town, every day there will be adda sessions with friends and family over good food. Not a single festive day should go to waste! Shopping is not on my agenda as I have many new clothes in my wardrobe. But will buy new clothes for Ujaan as his birthday is also during Durga Pujo. So, it is a double bonanza for him. I can’t surprise Kaushik by buying new clothes; he has tried out all his clothes first! To me, Durga Puja is all about fun, adda, new clothes, happiness, positivity and of course, great food.

People who want to leave a mark are making films that move the audiences. But there is also work that is sub-par. I think budget is a problem. You have to allow a creative person to soar and experiment, to get the best cinematic experience. So many films suffer because of budgetary constraints. I understand producers struggle as well, but I must admit, while working in Mumbai I was proud of Tollywood. It needs a lot of talent to be able to tell impactful stories despite all the challenges we face, and yet get appreciated by the audiences all over. Kudos to us!

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“I’m not getting into direction very soon (last one was Tarikh) but yes, I have been thinking of starting something. I am concerned about the fact that budgets are very limited these days and I don’t know whether I am creative enough to tell my story on a shoe-string budget”

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“Because of my short hair, people don’t cast me in traditional roles but I have wigs, directors and producers must know that (laughs)! Even then, Tollywood directors and producers hardly ever cast me and the success of my two films won’t make any difference. But it’s okay!”