Asin with Aamir Khan in Ghajini

You are already a veteran in the south Indian film industry. How does it feel to become a newcomer again, in Bollywood?

It’s very refreshing. It’s a totally different feeling. After how you have been treated down south, to be treated like a newcomer, it’s a great feeling actually. The only word I can use is refreshing!

But isn’t it challenging to establish yourself all over again?

I find it exciting because a whole new audience will open up after Ghajini. It’s a new opportunity for me to reach out to that audience.

You have been a hit machine down south for the last seven years. Why haven’t you tried your luck in Bollywood before?

There have been lots of offers before but I was waiting for the right one. Then Ghajini came along. It had a dream team. It seemed like the perfect baby-step for me into Bollywood. You have a co-star like the Aamir Khan in your first venture. You have a director as talented as Mr Murugadoss, who is also very popular down south with the kind of movies he has made. The musical genius Rahman Saab himself doing the music. Then you have Ravi K. Chandran who is a wizard behind the camera. It just seemed like the perfect project to go ahead with.

At which stage was the Hindi Ghajini offered to you? Did you learn about the remake before you were cast?

Actually, the Tamil Ghajini released in October 2005. Around that period there was this special screening of the film in Mumbai for Aamir Sir. After that Aamir Sir called me and told me that he enjoyed the movie and liked my performance. Then I got a call from the production house that this movie is being remade in Hindi and that they would like me to do the same role in this version as well.

Madhavan, who did Rehnaa Hai Terre Dil Mein and Ramji Londonwaley in two different languages, told us that it’s pretty boring to play the same role twice. What was your experience with the two Ghajinis?

It is slightly the same thing, character-wise. But because the people you are working with are new — it’s a totally different team — they bring their own flavour to the film. They have their own ways of approaching the film. That makes the job not monotonous actually. Doing the same thing also does give you a comfort level because you are already familiar with the character.

Asin with Aamir Khan in Ghajini

Does Hindi make life easier or tougher?

For me, it was similar because even Tamil is not my mother tongue (she is Malayali). But I have no trouble with either Tamil or Hindi. I can handle both languages easily.

How was the Aamir Khan experience?

He is a very supporting and encouraging co-actor. A lot has been said about his perfection and his dedication to his work. That’s absolutely true. What makes it even easier is that he is a very simple person, very open to other opinions and views. It’s not at all intimidating to share the frame with him. It has been an absolute pleasure working with him.

There was this report that he spent a couple of days with you before the film’s shooting to get easy with you...

Oh my god! It’s such rubbish! I don’t think we had so much time to spend days together. I read the story myself and had a good laugh over it. The schedule was so tight that we had to rush, finish that Guzarish song and rush back. How can people think of us going there and actually having a mini holiday! It was quite hilarious, but completely untrue.

But is it true that just like Aamir you go to the theatres on the first day of your films to check out the audience reaction?

Does he do that, too? I didn’t know that! I do that for every film. I watch the first-day-first-show with the audience in the theatre. I have a habit of doing that. It’s nicer that way because you get first-hand reaction.

After Aamir Khan in Ghajini, you are shooting with Salman Khan for Vipul Shah’s London Dreams...

(Laughs) I consider myself God’s favourite child! They are the two major Khans and not everybody gets a chance like that. It is definitely a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Working with such established stars at such an early stage of my career... I consider myself extremely fortunate. I should count my blessings.

How would you compare the two?

Aaah... very different people! There can’t be any comparisons. The similarity is that they are both great actors and they are big stars. On the sets, Aamir puts a lot more thinking into his character. Salman maybe does it at home because you don’t get to see it. On set, it’s just spontaneous Salman.

Does entering Bollywood mean a goodbye to Tamil and Telugu movies?

Not at all. I don’t look at it as Bollywood and south Indian industry. I just look at it as separate projects that have come my way. Language is never a criterion. I am also doing a multilingual film called 19 Steps, produced by Walt Disney opposite Japanese star (Tadanobu) Asano. It’s always about the script, my role, the director, the producer and the co-actor. It’s not a planned move to Bollywood. It’s not a goodbye to south Indian films.

who’s that girl?

The word ‘asin’, she says, means purity

Her full name is Asin Thottumkal

Asin is all of 23 and hails from Kochi

Asin’s breakthrough film was the Telugu movie Amma Nanna O Tamila Ammayi opposite Ravi Teja

She followed it up with a big hit opposite Nagarjuna in Shivamani

After the success of her Tamil film Ullam Ketkumae, Asin signed big movies with
the four leading actors of the Tamil film industry — Surya, Vikram, Vijay and Ajith — in Ghajini, Majaa, Sivakasi and Varalaru

Her Ghajini became one of the biggest hits down south forcing Aamir to do the remake

Asin played a double role in the 10-in-one Kamal Haasan-starrer Dasavathaaram