Amrita chucks TV for films
Yes, she has refused to be part of Big Boss too. Instead, she will play mom to Vivek Oberoi in Shootout At Lokhandwala
Subhash K Jha
Amrita Singh has done the unexpected, yet again. The actress has agreed to play Vivek Oberoi's mother role in Apoorva Lakhia's film Shoot-out At Lokhandwala. "It sounds strange. But just watch me in the film. I wouldn't do anything silly. It's a great character. Although Shoot-out… is a male-oriented film, I play a pretty gutsy woman in it," says Amrita.
So far, Amrita has just shot for a day. "It's an interesting part and I accepted it as that's the kind of short stint I was looking for. Besides, they paid me well. I needed to give only six days for this role. This suited me as right now as I need all my time to look after my children, especially my son Ebrahim who needs me," says the actress.
Amrita has decided to take a break from television. "Kavyanjali was a great experience for me. Ekta Kapoor told me that she would like to work with me again. But honestly, I won't consider television for a long time now," says Amrita. "I used to work round-the-clock. I had no time to take my kids on a holiday. Balancing home, kids and work became too much for me. After all now, I'm solely responsible for my children's future."
Compared to television, Amrita finds cinema much less demanding. "My film roles never required me to shoot for more than 20 days. Even in Kalyug I shot only for six days! I tortured the unit into shooting day and night with me," she says. However, Amrita admits that Kalyug didn't re-launch her film career according to her expectations. "I did receive offers, but I want the best. I'm a selfish person. So far I've done exactly what I wanted to do. Finally I'm doing Shootout… and Sanjay Gupta's Dus Kahaniyan," says Amrita.
In fact, Amrita just turned down an offer to do Sony Entertainment's new reality show. "I'm not doing Big Boss! They keep calling me but I've refused. I quoted an exorbitant price and even then they were willing to pay me! But I'm not doing it. How can I simply take off for weeks to some unknown destination without my kids?" she asks. "Even if I had someone to look after my kids I can't bear the thought of a camera watching me 24/7."
Amrita's daughter, Sarah, also aspires to be an actress. "She's well brought up. I spent ample time with her when she was a child. But Ebrahim hasn't had enough of me," she says. "The kids feel nice to see me at home when they return from school."
Indeed, her kids are top priority and a recent incident made the actress resolve to spend more time with them. While filming Shoot-out… Amrita had to get herself smeared with fake blood. "While my son wasn't scared, he became very concerned. He kept knocking on the bathroom door as I showered. When I opened the door he was standing there holding my nightgown. He just wanted me to change and go to sleep. But I had to go back for the night-shoot. It was heartbreaking moment, she reminisces. "From that moment I decided I wouldn't work at my children's expense. I have missed out a lot. When Ebrahim's teachers tell me he's bright, brave and intelligent, I feel it's my life's finest achievement."
