TNN
As we sit down for a chat, Tena Desae tells us she isstarving and
dying to have Andhra biryani. After quickly placing an order, she gets
talking with Hyderabad Times. Excerpts.
The houses here are so huge
I have been to Hyderabad a few times before and every time I'm here, I
ensure I gorge on Andhra biryani and not just Hyderabadi biryani.
Also, avery good friend of mine stays here. So, I am waiting to meet
him too. The most interesting thing about the city is the size of the
houses... they are huge! Every time I'm here, Iend up driving around
Banjara Hills just to check out the houses, staring at them. Where
else in this country will you find such huge bungalows!
I am too thin for Tollywood
I do want to do South films,or for that matter, films in any language.
But I also know that South films demands their actresses to be plump,
which I am not, and I can never be either. I'm genetically very
skinny. I have to really work very hard to maintainthe figure that I
have. I have banana shakes everyday to maintain this weight. I can
never put on weight for Tollywood, evenif I want to. If directors
arefine with my build, I am ready to do a film. In fact, Ihave been
offered a few South movies in the past, but nothing has materialised
so far.
Another on-screen kiss
Oh! yes, another on-screen for me in my upcoming film. I have become a
pro at it, you see! (laughs) When I was told by director Aditya
(Dutt), that I had to kiss Rajeev (Khandelwal) on screen, I was like
'haan, haan, I will do it, no problem'. But to be honest,I got nervous
once again just like it happened before my kissing scene with Dev
Patel (in The BestExotic Marigold Hotel). Thistime, I freaked out on
the day of the shoot because Ihad to kiss Rajeev on a crowded street
in Fiji.
People there are more liberal, of course, but not too many shootings
happen there... So, when they learned that a kissingscene is being
shot, thousands of people gathered around. But then,the plot demanded,
and I had to do it. In fact, I got so involved in the scene that I
continued kissing himeven after the shot because I didn't know the
scene was done! I am glad the kiss didn't come out sloppy, I wouldn't
want that. (laughs)
I choose films with brains
Whether it's Yeh Faaisley, or Sahi Dhandhe Galat Bandhe or Table 21
(with Rajeev Khandelwal), I havea tendency of choosing films that have
some sense in it. Having said that, I do enjoy typical masala films...
not all of them, but at least 50% of them. I can watch them, be
entertained, enjoy and laugh along. But when sucha movie, where you
have to leave your brains behind, is offered to me, I think twice.
Perhaps, it's my lack of understanding, but I am still figuring out
things in the industry. I don't want to be closed to anything. I want
to experiment and be versatile.
People tell me I shouldn't keep refusing films
I have been offered films by a lot of people, but thenI can't do
everything. When I get a big banner film, the role is not meaty enough
and my character is contributing nothing to the plot. With smaller
films,I have to be careful because I am not sure whether it will be
promotedproperly. My earlier films inHindi didn't do well becausethey
were not publicised well. I have learned to be more careful now.
Script is important yes, but marketing a film in the rightway is also
essential.
I am open to Hollywood
I have an agent there and they are happy with my work, which is good
news. They keep sending me scripts. But as of now, there is nothing
that I can talk about. Of course, I do want to do another Hollywood
film soon, because working in an international film has taught me a
lot. That
industry works so differently there. In the West, you act in 500 TV
shows, do 300 films and then get that one kickass movie. Here in
India, you do a few films and you are tagged. I want to avoid that,
which is why, I tend to choose films very carefully.
Rapists should be castrated
I am fortunate that I have been treated well by the men in the
industry, except one incident, which I don't want to talk about now to
avoid controversies. But to thinkabout what happened to Nirbhaya (as
TOI has named the Delhi rape victim), is so scary! I don't like to
read about rapes inthe newspapers, who would want to? But it's become
the reality now. I seriously think rapists should be castrated and the
legal proceedings should be quickly done with, so that the victim gets
a closure soon. I don'tknow if I am correct in saying this, but maybe,
prostitution could be legalised.
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