Anusha Dandekar at The Telegraph Tollygunge Club Monsoon Bash and (below) the actress strikes a pose. Picture above by Rashbehari Das

Debuting with a film that has the Big B in the cast is not a feat too many in the industry can boast of. Anusha Dandekar (or VJ Anusha, as she is popularly known) already has this to her credit. She was not only Amitabh Bachchan and Sharmila Tagore’s daughter-in-law but also John Abraham’s wife and had Sanjay Dutt for company on the sets. That’s a start a certain Mr Sehwag would be envious of.

Mahesh Manjrekar’s Viruddh happens to be the acting debut of Anusha and the hard work is evident on screen.

“If my character gets even an iota of attention I’ll be happy that I have been able to deliver on a platform as big as this. One must consider the heavyweights I have worked with in my debut film,” says the MTV VJ.

Anusha was in town to host The Telegraph Tollygunge Club Monsoon Bash on Saturday night.

In Viruddh, she plays Jenny, half-Indian and half-British. “They were looking for a girl with non-Indian looks who speaks heavily-accented Hindi. One fine day I received a call from Mahesh’s assistant and the very next day I was sitting in front of him listening to the script,” recalls Anusha.

“He told me about my role and who my co-stars would be in the movie. I was told to convey my decision by the next day. What happened after that is anybody’s guess,” she smiles.

The first day of shooting was an unnerving experience, but it was all part of a journey worth remembering. “Though I had interviewed Amitji before on my show, acting with him was a different ball game. But that man is so cool! He doesn’t have any starry tantrums. It’s the same with Sanju also. He is such a brat on the sets,” laughs Anusha.

But it was Sharmila Tagore who impressed her the most. “I found her so elegant and polite,” she gushes.

Though Viruddh is her debut as an actress, Anusha made her first big-screen appearance with the item number Loot gaye in Mumbai Matinee.

After the success of Viruddh, Anusha is eagerly awaiting “good offers” to come her way. Till then, the pretty lady will be busy with MTV Style Check, a show she hosts along with Malaika Arora Khan.

“Fashion is something close to my heart. That’s why I am so comfortable interviewing college kids about their style tastes and preferences,” says Anusha.