After five years in the industry Aditi Rao Hydari still hasn't lost her spunk, to Bollywood diplomacy expected of actors. Her candour intact, the actress engages us in a fun conversation ahead of her upcoming release Guddu Rangeela. She talks about playing one of the boys, with Arshad Warsi and Amit Sadh, acquiring the demeanour of a Chandigarh girl, who is far detached from the regal set-up she belongs to, and how lack of self consciousness saves her from becoming conceited. Excerpts:

From the trailer, Guddu Rangeela seems a heady blend of politics and humour. Tell us more about it.
When I heard the first narration of the film, I got this Ishqiya vibe from it. Set in the dusty Hindi heartland, this film too is about two men and a mysterious girl. The bromance here is quite like Jai-Veeru's, something our director Subhash Kapoor is strongly influenced by. This movie is Subhash Sir's baby all the way. And it is his crazy buddhi that translated into all the fun on screen. From mixing humour with a raging political topic to a quirky song like Mata Ka Email, it is something only Subhash Sir can do. When you put him and Arshad Sir in the same room, they are bound to create madness! When I saw the film, I was doubling up with laughter and looking at both of them in shock. The crackling dialogues, the jokes, they are all so cool.

There is evidently a strong chemistry between Subhash and Arshad.
Arshad Sir and Subhash Sir think the same way. When you see the film, you'll wonder if Arshad Sir said a certain joke on his own or did Subhash Sir script it for him. There is a natural vibe between them.

Tell us about your character in the film.
The backdrop of Guddu Rangeela is honour killings and that is what forms its backstory. But at its core, the film is about two cute ruffians who think they are really cool. They kidnap a girl out of compulsion. I play Baby, a sweet, vulnerable, pampered girl from a small town. She is the youngest in her family and is hence very protected. Baby doesn't speak but it is she who creates mayhem in the lives of Guddu and Rangeela.

What made you take up a realistic commercial film with male central characters?
For four years now, people have told me what I must do. 'You look too sweet', 'You must look more sexy' are things which I've often heard. It would really confuse me earlier. But I want to be myself now. People must love me for who I am not for who I am trying to be. I love it now because filmmakers pick me for this. Subhash Sir has used the vulnerability in my look that everybody sees and has given me a role that is driven by my acting. He made me play someone else and that is what gives the mystery angle to the character as well as the film. She speaks only with her dagger eyes. Her character is in layers and that is unspooled gradually in the film. I don't want to say too much because there is a lot more that is best reserved for theatres. I am glad my character is such that I got to be one of the boys in the film.

In your abduction scene, you are asked to choose between Shah Rukh and Salman. Whom would you choose if the question is posed in real life?
In real life, if asked, I would get confused and get kidnapped. Or just choose Aamir (Khan). Best way to get out seamlessly.

We heard about Amit's accident while shooting the song Sooiyan.
It was an action song and not a romance song. We were shooting in the mall area in Shimla. In the song, Guddu is constantly trying to patao Baby and she is shooting him stern 'don't mess with me' looks. The mall road steps are really steep and Amit had to follow me down the stairs. I did my bit and looked back and saw him fall. There was complete silence. We didn't know if it was funny or something serious has happened. Amidst the quietude, Subhash Sir quipped, 'Yeh toh gaya.' Amit's foot had swollen immediately. Being the conscientious actor he is, he missed his footing because he was looking at me. It was strange because in our action sequences I have run in regular shoes, done stunts with the boys. Amit himself had done a huge jump without a wire and he was fine. But on the first day of shooting a romantic song, he breaks his leg. Satire is a wrong word but in a Subhash Kapoor film, irony had its part to play.

You hail from Hyderabad, a world far removed from the one in this film. Was it difficult getting the nuances?
I am not acquainted with the heartland ambience of this film. My family is far too detached from that. That is the world of genteel, royalty. People don't raise their voice too much. But since I have grown up in Delhi, playing a Chandigarh girl came relatively easily to me.

Are you trying to strike a balance between glamorous and meaty roles?
I had come into this movie just after Boss. I enjoy these glamorous roles. But now I have inculcated the mindset that I don't want to be replaceable in a movie. I agree that bodies and faces are replaceable, but talent cannot be replaced. I feel there is more to me and filmmakers are beginning to see that now.

There is a surge of unusual roles that are coming your way from esteemed filmmakers. Is that making you more confident?
I'm a very positive person and always see the brighter side of things. It is my default setting to function like that. I don't have the privilege of choice as I don't have a hand on my head. I don't have anyone who showcases the qualities I have, something that is customary in this industry. People who know me well, know what I am good at. But there is no one to tell that to the world. Movies are about the world knowing. But I don't like that kind of PR machinery around me, which would go all out to promote me. The things people say about themselves these days are very unreal. I do have a PR but I would rather not shout from the rooftops or chant to the world 'I am great. Watch me'. I am in the middle-ground where I like people praising me on their own. I am a full-on energiser bunny and it's best I utilise my energy in things I love to do and things I can do. People die shooting 16 hours a day. I, on the other hand, don't even flinch. I love it. I am an actor, and I would rather do my job.

What do you think is the quality that sets your apart from the rest?
I am very naïve. I don't have much awareness. I don't have a method. I don't prepare, but things that I connect with sit inside me, grow and I make something of it. The fact that there is a five-year-old's enthusiasm in me helps me perform. I want to be free, make faces, cry without caring about how I am looking. I don't want to be self conscious. In this industry, many tell me how I am so good-looking but if I begin dwelling on the 'Look at me' zone, it will be the end of me. My acting is the only thing I really care about.