What’s playing on your iPod these days?

Since I am doing a lot of workouts these days, it’s mostly Trance and Techno music on my iPod now.

Of the recent films released – TAARE ZAMEEN PAR, KHOYA KHOYA CHAND, WELCOME and DUS KAHANIYA, which, according to you, has the best music?

I would say that the music scored in all these films are great. While the music in WELCOME is mind blowing, I liked the music in KHOYA KHOYA CHAND too. I have not watched TAARE ZAMEEN PAR and am ashamed about it. I have heard that the film as well as the music in this movie is tremendous.

Which are your five all-time favorite songs?

Come on, this is too tough a job. Nevertheless, I will try. I like all the songs in LAMHE and HUM DIL DE CHUKE SANAM. You may choose any song from these films. I also love the song in DIL – ‘Khambe Jaise Khari Hai’. I like the song so much that I have watched the movie at least 50 times in my childhood. I honestly don’t know why. Again, I also like the title track ‘Soncha Na Tha’ from my film SONCHA NA THA. Besides, these I am also fond of the KRISHNA COTTAGE song ‘Soona Soona Lamha Lamha’.

What type of music soothes your mind and which ones irritate you?

For me music is fun, and it all depends on my mood. My liking for music changes according to variations of my moods. If I am in a trance mood, I like Trance music and when in a rocking mood, I prefer Rock music. And there are times when I also listen to Sufi music. (Smiling) As far as irritating music is concerned, I must tell you that the music my sister prefers is really irritating. She keeps the door of her room open and plays loud Rock music. This is really irritating for the entire family and whoever hears it.

Is there any music that makes you dance as you hear it?

I personally like ‘Hip-hop’, ‘Rock’ and ‘Trance’ music a lot. At the same time, I am very fond of the song ‘Loot liya’ in my film SUNDAY. It is a hilarious as well as jamboree kind of a song usually associated with the immersion of the Ganapati.

Which is your favorite romantic song?

Once again I need to mention the title song in SONCHA NA THA as I like this song very very much. At the same time, I also like the song ‘Jeena Kya Tere Bina’ from my movie KYA LOVE STORY HAI.

Do you prefer remixes or original songs?

It is a simple fact that remixes are made from original songs that have more value to any music aficionado. The idea behind making remixes is to make a hit song a hit again. The two are different and they offer a different kind of fun. I like both.

According to you, is the music of the day better than that of the yesteryears, as good or worse?

No doubt, the music of the yesteryears was far better. These days anything passes off as music and can you imagine the riot when all these are played together!

“You’ll come out of Kya Love Story Hai with a smile on your face!”

Not only is she endowned with a pretty face, the most charming smile and a candid demeanour, Ayesha Takia is also one of the most talented newcomers around. With several awards in her pocket as the most promising newcomer and more recently for her scintillating performance in Dor, the young actress is on a firm ground.

After an intense film like Dor how was it working in a love story like Kya Love Story Hai?

I consider myself very lucky to be doing a good balance of films. Dor was very demanding emotionally, and had drained me completely.

I am extremely proud of Dor. Working in Kya Love Story Hai was fun! I enjoy doing love stories! In this film, I play Kaajal a young and vivacious today’s girl who has a firm value base. It rejuvenated me!

What is it about Kya Love Story Hai that will draw the audiences?

It a love story and love is a universal sentiment! Love stories always find a universal audience. Love is an integral part of every individual’s life.

One is either in love or is waiting to fall in love. So everyone will connect with Kya Love Story Hai. I am a very romantic person myself!

What is so special about Kya Love Story Hai?

I think its strength lies in its simplicity. It’s a simple love story that has been treated and executed very well.

The film’s director Lovely Singh has kept it very close to life and made it as real as possible. It has brilliant music and with Cape Town as the backdrop, its beaches and landscapes have given the film a unique and exotic flavour.

You are looking exceptionally striking in Kya Love Story Hai?

It is all thanks to Manish Malhotra! He went out of his way to experiment and give me this look of a very vivacious and sprighty girl. Though the chic dresses and cool tops are not clothes I would wear in real life, I really enjoyed wearing them for Kya Love Story Hai.

How was it working with your co-star Tusshar Kapoor? It’s your first film with him!

I found Tusshar to be one of the most uncomplicated and easy persons to work with. As an actor he is extremely hard working, and dedicated to his craft and gets involved with every aspect of the film.

As a person he is great fun. Like me, he is a foodie and we had a great time gorging on exotic sea food almost every day of the shoot!

The sensational song It’s Rocking Yaara Kabhi Ishq To Karo……picturised on Kareena Kapoor is a huge, huge hit. Do you ever wish it had been picturised on you?

I have set a few rules for myself. Not doing item numbers is one of them as i am not comfortable wearing the kind of clothes one has to, for these numbers. But yes, Kareena is looking gorgeous and I am very glad that people are loving it and it is high up on all the music charts!

The music of Kya Love Story Hai is very young and foot-tapping. Which is your favourite track?

I love all the tracks of the film. Pritam has done a great job. But Jeena Kya Tere Bina …..is the one i can listen to again and again. When shooting for the film we were in Cape Town for 40 days and I was missing my boyfriend Farhan. This song echoes my sentiments I felt at that time!

What are your expectations from the film?

I have great expectations from Kya Love Story Hai. It’s a sweet and emotional romance for families! You’ll come out with a smile on your face!

Expecting any awards this time?

It’s great to get them, but I don’t take up a film hoping I will get an award for it. My award is the people’s appreciation of my work!

She has won millions of heart and her acting abilities have been recognised as well. A close encounter with the damsel, who’s ready with her next release. TIMES NOW’s Medini Sharma gets close and personal with Ayesha Takia.

Times Now’s Medini Sharma talks to the dashing damsel of Bollywood Ayesha Takia

Medini Sharma : From, ‘Socha Na Tha’ to ‘Kya Love Story Hai’, you seem to have come a long way. How has the journey been?

Ayesha Takia : It has been fun all the way simply because all along I have worked on my terms. I’ve always acted from my heart and have never really bothered whether a film does well or not. Perhaps, this is the reason why I love acting so much.

Medini Sharma : You are playing a very independent lady in this film. Are you the same in real life as well?

Ayesha Takia : Not really. In fact, I’m a very dependent person in real life. It is only while I’m acting that I need my space otherwise I’m always with the people I love.

Medini Sharma : How was it working with Tushar Kapoor?

Ayesha Takia : Everyone had told me that Tushar is a very sweet guy and it turned out to be true. I loved working with him for he is a thorough professional.

Medini Sharma : The promos of the film seem to be giving more footage to Kareena Kapoor than you? What is your say on this?

Ayesha Takia: I feel if a song of my film starring someone else is doing well then it is good for the film. I have no issues with that.

Medini Sharma : You had a 40 day schedule in Capetown. You must have missed your loved ones especially your boyfriend Farhan. How did you manage?

Ayesha Takia : It was hard. I did miss my family and Farhan. We are so used to being together 24*7 that we can’t do without each other. A 40 day schedule is indeed big. I hope, I don’t get such schedules now.

You are three years old in the film industry, have nine films to your credit and so many awards….
It really feels great to receive an award, but that is not the bottomline for me. When the media, film critics, audiences and people at large like my performance in a particular film, then that becomes the real award for me. Everyone’s appreciation for my work in Dor was my real award.

After a serious film like Dor, you must have been offered many similar roles. Didn’t you feel like following up with another serious character, rather than doing a fun filled film?
It is necessary to strike a balance, otherwise the audience might get bored of seeing me in similar roles. Dor was a film I cherish and I am lucky to have got. I hope I get a lot more films like Dor.

But if I did another intense film after Dor, it would be strenuous for me and my audience. I had to strike a balance with a masala and fun film and then I will probably go back to another serious film.

Looking back at your track record, aren’t you afraid of being typecast in youth oriented or fun loving roles?
Thankfully, there are people like Nagesh and Naseersaab who think otherwise. I am fortunate to have struck a balance and not been typecast.

Can you share something on the short film you are doing with Vishal Bharadwaj?
Mira Nair, Farhan Akhtar and Vishal Bharadwaj are making short films for the Bill Gates Aids Awareness Foundation. The film I am doing with Vishal is a short 12 minute film and also has Siddharth (Rang De Basanti) in it.

It is not a sad film as one would expect a film on AIDS to be. It is a positive film about AIDS that is entertaining, so that one doesn’t feel sad and bored along the way.

In your forthcoming film, Kya Love Story Hai, you have balanced out by playing a relatively fun filled character.
In Kya Love Story Hai, I play Kajal who is a modern independent girl living in a metro city. She wants to go to college, study hard and score well, at the same time, she also goes to work, manages her career and visits the orphanage. In short, she just likes to multi task.

What’s it about this character that appealed to you?
After Socha Na Tha, I had not done a film that was a typical love story, so that’s what appealed to me the most, because I really like doing love stories. Also the fact that, like me, Kajal is also a young girl who wants to work and be independent. I thought it would be fun to play this.

Lovely Singh has struck a balance of commercial and real cinema in this film wherein the characters are real but at times, the film is just outright entertaining.

You seem to be working with a lot of first time directors…
I like working with first time directors because they have a lot of fresh ideas and the energy to make the most out of whatever they have.

The promotions of Kya Love Story Hai started off with you and Tusshar as the face of the film but suddenly all focus has shifted to Kareena’s item song….
Firstly, I do not do item songs and moreover, it is really nice that a song from our film does well. Why would I grudge someone an item song?

What are your forthcoming films?
Sunday, No Smoking, Fool and Final, De Taali, in all of which I play fun loving characters.

Time for another serious role then?
I am looking forward to something worthwhile, especially after Dor. There have been a couple of offers, but none to really fit into my life and the way I look.

Ayesha Takia’s on a roll – professionally and personally as well. The cutie-pie, who’s only worry in life right now, is that her carefully-cultivated fringe that she went in for on an impulse whilst shopping in Bangkok with boyfriend Farhan Azmi.

It is now growing back “and is ruining the continuity of my films” she mock-complains. Otherwise she is “blissfully satisfied with my life”.

Q: How has life been after Dor?
A: I am at peace with myself, professionally due to all the accolades I got due to Dor and all the great projects that I bagged due to that film. Personally, of course, I don’t have anything more to ask for after having such a caring and supportive boyfriend.

Q: What has been your experience with your earlier project Shaadi Se Pehle?
A: I prefer to forget the mishap called Shaadi Se Pehle. It had threatened to stir up my professional life, not so long ago. I’m an impulsive person.

I’m not the kind to make calculated moves, thinking that arre, if I pick this film, it will catapult me to the Oscars next year! I do those films that appeal to me in the first reading. That the reason for the appeal may be totally whacky is another story altogether.

Q: Do you regret that Shaadi Se Pehle has bombed at the box office?
A: Having said whatever I have, I must admit that I do not regret any project I have done till date.

Films are bound to succeed or fail; if Shaadi…flopped, I was amply compensated with Dor, which initially people were pretty sceptical about how I’d handle since it was a totally deglamourised and a rural role, completely contrasting to everything I’d done till then.

Q: How has been the experience doing Dor?
A: I think that the gamble of doing a deglamourised role has paid off! People have appreciated my work and even hailed me as the next probable marquee-queen my portrayal of a young widow, a role that is very close to my heart.

Q: Was it stressful to play such a serious role?
A: Not stressful, but it kind of matured me somewhere as a woman; though of course it’s not as if I have totally shed off my girlish innocence, it did bring a radical shift in my perspective.

Q: What are your forthcoming projects?
A: I have a handful of them. While No Smoking with John Abraham is a light-hearted movie, there are Alladin, Sunday and De Taali with Riteish Deshmukh and Aftab Shivdadsani. I had a ball shooting for these films because these two guys are laugh-rioters. They are the biggest pranksters I have ever come across, so shooting with them was like going for a college camp!

Q: Tell us something about your role in Sunday.
A: In Sunday, I play a dubbing artiste for animation films, due to which I have had to learn the voice-modulation techniques, which has been great fun.

Then, in Aladdin, which is a partially animated film, I play Jasmine. And then, in No Smoking, I’m playing the first double-role of my life as John’s wife and his secretary!

Q: Are you making a conscious effort to shifting towards light-hearted films?
A: No, not at all. Going by the praise I have received for Dor, I’d be game to play such kinds of roles for my entire career but a Dor doesn’t get made everyday.

Also, I love to experiment; be it with my roles, my looks or my voice; hence, this variety in my repertoire” she quips, even as she blushes for the compliments we give her for looking so toned down.

“I am on a weight-reduction spree after all the brickbats I have been getting since the beginning of my career for my puppy-fat. On day I just thought, chalo, let’s actually get down to doing something about it.

How was it working with your co-star Akshaye Khanna?
i had earlier acted with Akshaye in ‘Shaadi Se Pehle’. Hence the ice was already broken. Akshaye is shy by nature. We hit it off well because, like me, he is a natural actor.

How much have you grown after your debut film ‘Socha Na Tha’?
Director imtiaz Ali had asked me to be myself in this film. i played a college kid with a middle class background. But after ‘Socha Na Tha’, no other director except Naseeruddin (Shah) saab gave me a chance to grow (’Yun Hota to Kya Hota’). However, today, i know a lot more about the technicalities associated with a film.

Do you count your role in ‘Dor’ as your finest?
i would certainly rate my role as Meera, an orthodox Rajasthani girl, as the best in my career. i have always liked Nagesh Kukunoor’s films whether it was ‘Hyderabad Blues’, ‘Rockford’ or ‘iqbal’.

Do you agree that you were not up to the mark in your earlier films?
There are some films that i am not happy looking back to-’Shaadi Se Pehle’, ‘Shaadi No 1′ and ‘Home Delivery’. i do not ever want to do another ‘Shaadi No 1′. The film went haywire because its characters lost their individual identities. in ‘Salaam-e-ishq’ each and every character has his or her identity.

Are you acting in ‘Kya Love Story Hai’-the sequel to ‘Kya Kool Hai Hum’?
i am acting in ‘Kya Love Story Hai’ with Tushar Kapoor. But it is not a sequel to ‘Kya Kool Hai Hum’. it is a contemporary love story directed by Satish Kaushik’s assistant Rakesh (Lovely). initially, Satish was slated to direct it.

After ‘Dor’, are you still keen to do mainstream films?
i love running around trees, as much as i look forward to doing films like ‘Dor’. Such films give me satisfaction as an actor instead of just increasing my bank balance. Even if the film is not a hit, i’d want people to appreciate my performance.

Would you compromise to get a film?
i’d rather sell my talent on screen than my cleavage on posters!

After a critically acclaimed movie Dor, what made you sign Salaam-e-ishq, which is out-and-out a commercial saga?
i like to do all sorts of movies. it is important to be balanced as an actor. You can’t be doing just one sort of movie. So i was very lucky to get Dor, because i needed a role that showed people i can play different kinds of characters as well and not just the young, bubbly (as people call me) and glamorous roles. That’s fun as well but it’s nice to maintain a balance. Besides who wouldn’t want to be a part of Salaam-e-ishq? i needed a role that showed people i can play different kinds of characters as well.

What is Salaam-e-ishq all about?
Salaam-e-ishq, as the title says, is a tribute to love. All the stories are about different people from different strata of our society, different age groups. it talks about what they are going through in their respective relationships and what problems love poses for them or in what ways it is really good for them. So it is all about love and i think it is always a lot of fun to watch love stories, romantic stories, which is something i enjoy personally. And i also feel that people would really love it because it is the perfect blend of commercial glossy, glamorous cinema and so much intensity, sensitivity and emotions. i think people will love the movie.

There are six tracks in the movie what is your track about?
Obviously it is something to do with love; i play a girl called Gia, who is like a socialite- always well-dressed, always wearing branded glasses and shoes. But at the same time she is very simple, sweet and very much in love with her boyfriend Shiven (played by Akshaye Khanna). He plays a really cool guy but someone who is commitment-phobic and scared of not being a bachelor anymore. He loves Gia a lot but he does not want to get married. So my track is about the problems they go through because of Shiven’s phobia of commitment.

According to the tagline, every love story has a problem. What is the problem in your story?
That is the problem – Shiven does not want to get married and i want to get married to him because i think that i love him and it is about time we get married. So how we are just trying to convince each other, what we go through, the ups and downs, good times and bad times, and just love. That is the problem.

This is your second movie with Akshaye Khanna. How was it working with him this time around?
Akshaye is really great. He is so immensely talented and i think everyone knows that anything that he does is definitely something that you will remember as ‘Oh, Akshaye acted really well, no matter how anything else was in the film’. i don’t think anyone else could have played the role of Shiven the way Akshaye did. He just totally blends into the character. i think the more films you do with an actor, the more comfortable you get with them. Your rapport becomes so much better. Akshaye is just great and i would love to do lots of movies with him.

This is Nikhil Advani’s second movie. How is he as a director?
Nikhil is also immensely talented and as i said earlier about the film, he knows how to blend perfectly a glossy commercial film, with a film that is so real! There are times in Salaam-e-ishq when you will cry, there are times when you will laugh. So it maintains all the reality amidst all the glamour. That is Nikhil’s plus point and that is why he will make the most amazing film whenever he does. i am just lucky to be part of a film like Salaam-e-ishq, i think all of us as actors feel that way.

Do these stories run parallel or do you interact with other characters from the other stories?
They are six different stories but somewhere, at some point all the stories meet especially in the climax. So i didn’t get a chance to act with too many people but Juhi Chawla plays my sister and Anil plays her husband, so then somewhere we meet, and Akshaye plays my boyfriend so he meets them. So in that sense, through relations, we do meet but it is so grandly made that it is not just about six stories. Salaam-e-ishq is six movies put into one story; i think that is the important part! Every story is made with different colours, different sets, it is so huge that every story is made as one separate film. So i think it is the most rocking film that is going to release this year!

How was your entire experience doing this film?
The experience was awesome because Nikhil is so chilled-out and patient. He is very clear and confident of what he is doing. He doesn’t think twice before saying in one take that this is perfect and no, i don’t need a retake. i love his confidence and it just inspires people around him to be better and to work harder. Working with someone like him you learn a lot of things because technically he is so strong and he has worked for so long in the industry. Handling so many artists together is a huge deal and Nikhil has done it so well.

As everyone knows the music is already doing so well and is so good. When we heard the title song for the first time, when it was ready and Nikhil called us to listen to it, we all knew that this is going to be the most rocking song that releases. The visuals to match are just as good. One of my personal favourites though is Ya Rabba. if you listen to the CD, that is the last song on it. The CD is always playing in my car, each song, according to which mood i feel. Everybody at some point has been in love, is in love or will be in love. So the music is something that everyone can relate to, so i think they will love the music.

What is the USP of the film, why should people go and watch it?
What isn’t the USP of Salaam-e-ishq? i think, just the fact that it is Salaam-e-ishq, with all the actors that it has, with Nikhil Advani, and it is about love, makes it such a big film. The music rocks and the visuals rock, also, the story is strong. it is not just a good-looking film. And i think that the fact that there are so many talented actors in the film makes it interesting enough.

Do you believe in ishq?
Like i keep saying, my life is all about love. Not just Farhan, i am also talking about my mom and my sister. i just really love everybody who is in my life. Everyone knows my personality traits match with the character i play in the film. Everyone knows that i believe so much in love and loving is very important to me. So i say salaam to ishq!

How will you describe love?
i think that love is a selfish thing; it is not selfless, contrary to what most people say. Because i think you can only love someone if they love you back. Sometimes you madly in love someone who doesn’t love you back but then that just falls on its face. But i think love is a selfish emotion which makes you feel good. it makes you feel high – it is like a drug!

Any plans of marriage in the near future?
i think marriage is great. i think for people who are getting married, it must be the most exciting time of their lives. Every girl and every guy dreams of it at some point of time and i wish everyone the best things in their life if they are getting married and i really feel happy for them. And i look forward to mine someday. Everybody wants to get married someday, but not today. i am only 21 and Farhan is 24. Farhan and i are totally not ready for marriage right now. We are just enjoying life and everything that comes with it.

What are your future projects?
Right now i am shooting for a film i’m really excited about, called No Smoking by Anurag Kashyap. That is a film i am doing with John Abraham. i have a double role in that film – i play his wife as well as secretary, Annie and Anjali. it is hilarious because the two characters are so different from each other so i get a chance to do stuff that is completely different in the same film. i am also doing two more films with Nagesh Kukunoor. Then i am doing a film with Tusshar Kapoor called Kya Love Story Hai. it is a love story again. Love, as i said, is something that i love. Then i am doing another story with Ritesh Deshmukh and Rimi Sen which is just a comedy story about friends. it is called De Taali. i have to do stuff that makes me happy otherwise i can’t do good work. Post Dor, i have been getting films that are much more performance-oriented, and different from the films that i was offered earlier. So i am doing a lot of different films in the future.

The lady proved her mettle in Dor, bagging the Star Screen Best Actress Critics Award for the same. She will now be seen in Nikhil Advani’s Salaam-E-ishq which releases tomorrow, January 25. Excerpts from an interview with Vickey Lalwani:

Last year has been a great year for you.

Yes. God has been kind. Dor has changed a lot of things for me. it has opened up new avenues.

i am grateful to Nagesh Kukunoor for trusting me and giving me this opportunity. i needed a film like Dor and am really glad it happened.

How has the industry reacted to your winning awards?

Everybody is happy for me. It’s so sweet of the industry to still call me and appreciate my work. I hope to win some more awards (laughs).

People have realised my potential and now understand what I’m capable of. It’s very important for me to know what I’m doing in a film. It has to really excite me and move me.

My forthcoming films include Salaam-E-Ishq, Fool N Final, De Taali, Kya Love Story Hai and No Smoking.

What is Saalam-E-ishq all about?

Salaam-E-ishq is the story of six groups of people, from different parts of the world. They are from different walks of life, ignorant about each other. But they end up being brought together by destiny, fate and love.

And what about your role in the film?

Please don’t ask me. We have been strictly told not to reveal anything. All i will say is that my track is with Akshaye Khanna. We really had a blast on the sets. it was so much fun and excitement. i wasn’t jittery at all.

What about your other film, No Smoking?

in No Smoking, i’m paired opposite Bollywood heartthrob John Abraham. i play John’s love interest in more than one way; i play not only John’s wife, but also his secretary. The film is expected to be a comic treat, especially when the two characters of Ayesha are not twin sisters but are in John’s life. it’s definitely a ‘double trouble’ situation in the film.

We hear there are some rules on the sets of No Smoking?

Producer Kumar Mangat has reportedly gotten strict with the film’s crew to keep them from smoking on the sets because the whole purpose of the film is to give an anti-smoking message. The producer has begun fining anyone who is caught smoking on the sets. And the fine is also hefty, Rs 500.

This strict code does not spare even the movie’s director Anurag Kashyap who is a regular smoker. Whenever Anurag is caught smoking a cigarette he has to shell out Rs 500. Moreover, lest anyone smoke on the sly, Mangat has reportedly hired a cameraman to photograph those who try to smoke stealthily. Actor Ranvir Shorey too has been fined by the producer.

You refused Nagesh Kukunoor and even Yash Raj films…

i don’t believe in shedding clothes and locking lips in today’s dare-bare scenario. Therefore, i refused Nagesh Kukunoor’s Aashayein which required me to kiss and yes, i even turned down Yashraj’s Neal N Nikki sometime back on similar grounds. Under no circumstance will i kiss in a film, no matter how tempting the role is.