Bold and beautiful

"I hate mess. My surroundings have to be clean," says Masumi as she asks the waiter at 10 Downing Street to clean the floor where a bottle of Shock had toppled, even while picking up tissues and spreading them on the floor herself.

Hers may not be the face that launched a thousand products, but she is the one behind ads like Clean & Clear, Rexona Deo and Kingfisher. And her innings on television has been successful as well thanks to serials like Thoda Hai Thode ki Zaroorat Hai, Suhana Safar and Banegi Apni Baat. When asked how the transition from ads to telly to films was, she says: "I'm not a model as such - I'm an actress who is into modelling too," she smiles, sitting pretty in a greenish blue hipster teamed with a black halter neck. "Experience gives you knowledge and you evolve. I'm not here to compete with anyone. I just want to do my work, and learn from everyone."

"Though I have a lot of support from my family, my mother who is a disciplinarian wanted me to complete my studies before taking up acting. My mom's guidance was important for me because an actress can go astray when let on her own," she adds.

About projects in the pipeline, Masumi says, "I'm doing four films currently — 1:16 by Madhu Ambat, Later Heaven, a European film, Padmasri Lalu Prasad Yadav by Mahesh Manjrekar and Miya Maqbool where I have a guest appearance. Since the movie is studded with stars of the calibre of Tabu, Irfan Khan, Pankaj Kapoor and Naseeruddin Shah, I couldn't refuse the offer. I'll do at least one item number, to see how it is," says the actress, who plays a bratty girl in Chupke Se, tongue in cheek. "I strongly believe that the way you carry yourself matters in the industry. Whether I'm famous or not is irrelevant as long as people see and appreciate my work," says Masumi whose "experience in theatre - Marathi, Hindi and English - helped a lot. I wanted Chupke Se to be my debut film because my sister is the director and it makes it that much more memorable and special," says Masumi.

SHANTI NANISETTI

Hoping for the best

ZULFIKAR, MASUMI, Raman Lamba and Shona Urvashi have one thing in common. All four of them made their debut with Chupke Se, the first three as actors and the last as the director.

A PLA Entertainment Pvt. Ltd. production, Chupke Se promises to be a feel-good romantic comedy revolving around the Timgires, the Aryas, the Kochchars and Qasim Khan Qayamat. Going by the track record of the production house, which made films like Jalwa, Hero Hiralal, Chashme Baddur and Khatta Meetha, hopes are high on this sweet love story.

"We are all hopeful and keeping our fingers crossed till September 12 when the movie is scheduled to hit the screen," says debutant director Shona Urvashi. "I took about a year to script the film, and more time to shoot it. And, the end product turned out quite well," she says.

"It was certainly difficult to script and direct the film. Plus, I was expecting my first child then. Though I'm not tired of writing, which is my hobby, the shooting part was a bit tedious. However, the excitement of filmmaking saw me through - despite those tiring and frustrating long hours," she says. "It is a clean film, without violence and vulgarity, targeted at everybody - a film which the entire family can sit together and watch,"she adds.

It is some kind of a family production with my sister and husband in the cast," reveals Shona. "We are planning another movie after this: a sequel to Jalwa titled Jalwe ka Jalwa.

But it is still in the planning stages. I've also written two other scripts. But, I'll be able to finalise which film to take up next perhaps only after the release of my debut film," says the director.

SHANTI NANISETTI