The one incident which changed my life forever was my debut film, Maine Pyar Kiya. The director, Suraj R. Barjatya, was a friend of my parents and casually dropped in at home one day (it was in 1986) for tea. I was studying at Mithibai College then and was preparing to head off to the US for higher studies. I was completely taken by surprise when Mr Barjatya offered me the role of Suman (the heroine) opposite Prem (Salman Khan) that evening.

But when they read out the screenplay, I was speechless with emotion and had tears in my eyes. I took about a fortnight to make up my mind but eventually said yes. Once the shooting began, I enjoyed the whole experience since most of us were newcomers in the acting department and were constantly learning from each other.

I got married immediately after Maine Pyar Kiya released (1989) and then, marriage and children became my priority. Now that the children have grown up and I’ve played my part as the perfect daughter, wife and mother, I’d like to do something for myself.

You’ll see me playing the wife of a Naxalite, Suneil Shetty in a film by Ananth Mahadevan, titled Red Alert — The War Within. Shetty finds himself pushed into the Naxalite movement due to circumstances and the rest of the film depicts the trauma that his family experiences as a result. In fact, while shooting the film, we actually got to share experiences with one of the Naxalite families and that added to the depth of our understanding. The film is expected to hit theatres in November.

Another reason why I took up the role was the star cast and the fact that I’ll get to work with Naseeruddin Shah, Vinod Khanna and Shetty in the film. I’m looking for meaningful roles now and I’m sure that I’ll be able to make my mark in Hindi films again. (As told to Nandini Guha)