``I think I would have continued to be a lousy actress had I not done a small comic role in Midsummer Night's Dream. That was when I realised that I was just a tall girl who could not act. Because when I did my bit, no one found it funny. That day I went home, shut my door and practised my scene till I got it right.

``I would have never ventured into TV in such a big way had it not been for a friend who made an appointment with UTV for me. UTV did a screen test with me, and after a month, I was called. I had been selected to play Ayesha, the vamp, in Shanti. I loved the role, because in real life, one has to be good, but here I was real mean and got paid for it.

``Before I knew it, I was shooting 25 to 28 days a month and with serials like Faasle, 9 Malabar Hill, Jaane Kahan Mera Jigar Gaya ji, Sidhdhi... acting became a career.''

On her parallel career, designing:
``Actually, you could say that I am a designer who became an actress because I have a degree in design. Besides, it is something I love doing. I love to see my designs come to life.

``Perhaps it was out of this joy of seeing my designs come alive that I decided to launch my own label, Vastra. Vastra will have Indian as well as Western wear and will be relatively inexpensive. `'All my friends simply drop in at home and buy anything that I make. Like my first exhibition, I plan to hold an exhibition every month, not stock the outfits in various stores, which is why I will be visiting Pune every month.''

On the famous kissing scene:
``When I was doing Jaane Kahan..., the director approached me on the sets and asked if I would do a kissing scene with Amit Behl. At first, I was a bit surprised. I was not that kind of a girl. But then I thought of it as a new kind of challenge, and since I'm willing to try out anything new, I agreed.

``But there was nothing romantic about it. How can there be, when there are 30 crew members around and the director telling you to maintain a particular expression? What is left to be felt? It was all so technical.

``After doing the scene, I told my mom about it. And the day it was aired, I sat with my parents and saw the serial. My dad did not react, while my mom said it was okay. My parents have a lot of faith in me. They are confident that I will never do anything wrong. It was only their opinion that mattered to me. If they have no problems, I don't really care what the others think.''

On marriage:
``I have been so busy that I have had no time to even think about marriage. But it's not that I don't believe in it. I have just not found anybody I would want to share the rest of my life with. My parents did pressurise me at first, but at 31, they know it is time they gave up. And they have. Anyway, I am very happy with the way my life is going, and if marriage has to happen, it will. I am not about to get into a flap about it.