Sunday is an entertainer but it offered me a lot of scope in terms of acting. I play a dubbing artist for cartoon characters in the film. It’s a very cute role but I had to work very hard on my voice. On the other hand, I didn’t have much to do in No Smoking. I took up the movie because of my friendship with Anurag (Kashyap) and its wacky story. I want to act in all kinds of films. While I can boast of my serious films 20 years down the line, light movies too are welcome.

People took particular notice of you right from the beginning of your career. Were you plain lucky?

Yes. Despite not having a commercial hit behind my name, I was taken seriously. I am happy that I have been able to make a name for myself just on the basis of good performance.

What are you expecting at this point of your career?

I hope I have a hit film to my credit now. Every actor wants commercial success, along with critical acclaim. Apart from Sunday, I have a number of big films coming up. I am acting with Salman Khan in Prabhu Deva’s Pokhiri for Boney Kapoor. There is also Nagesh Kukunoor’s big-budget psychological thriller Eight By Ten, where I’ll be cast opposite Akshay Kumar. In E Niwas’ De Tali, I am in the lead with Riteish Deshmukh, Aftab Shivdasani. It’s a cute story of friendship.

Were you nervous while shooting with top rung actors like Salman Khan and Ajay Devgan (co-star in Sunday)?

Not much. Salman is very sweet and patient; Ajay hardly has any starry air about him and he is very comfortable with people who don’t have any connections with films.

What is your target as a heroine in the long run?

The film industry is a very complicated place. In contrast, I am a non-manipulative person. In the long run, I want to be true to myself.

How have you managed to stay away from rumours of link-ups with co-stars?