Gallery - Shanno Ki Shaadi - NO COMMENTS (Page 43)

S he had hardly slept after shooting for an ad film in Pune the night before. But that did not show when we met actor Divya Dutta late the fol- lowing evening at Bolpur, where she was shooting for director Anup Das' maiden Hindi feature film Dil Ke Armaan. She was her usual self — bubbly, amiable and straightforward. "I play a surrogate mother in this film. It's an interesting role. The woman is very clear about what she wants. She is very endearing and simplicity is her USP. She is sweet, simple yet strong," informs Dutta about her character, Gauri, which is central in the film. She shares the screen with actors Yashpal Sharma and Rituparna Sengupta, among others. Dutta, whose performance in Veer-Zaara drew accolades, has her kitty full these days. "I am also doing Love Game, Aaja Nach Le, Apne and a couple of big banner films that I am not supposed to talk about," she says. What about Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra's Dilli 6? "It's too early to talk about," she says. She also has Trisha, directed by Sushen Bhatnagar, which is the "most hard-hitting film" she has done. "It leaves you shaken. An absolutely dark film, it revolves around a couple trapped in the vicious circle of baby trading," she says. Panning back to her bumpy career in Bollywood, the inevitable question comes up: How does she see it? "I have been here for 11 years. It's all about space and time. Big names such as JP Dutta or Yash Raj Films, with whom I wanted to work early on in my career, I am doing now. It was a hard journey and I travelled alone. I did not have any filmy background," she says and adds, "Now I feel lucky to work with them." The Ludhiana lass says she is not a method actor. "I go by instinct. I won't do huge home- work to play a character," she says. While the conversation is on, a waiter enters with a glass of milk. Dutta informs us that she fasts on Mondays: "It makes me feel good." To keep fit she says she also drinks plenty of water. Thirty minutes of walking is a must and working out in her home gym. What else? "I read a lot. And I write prose. I also sketch. Mostly I draw female faces and looking at them my mom can tell whether I am happy or sad." sudipto.shome@hindustantimes.com