The journey has been good so far, but it also takes a lot of patience to wait for the right role,” says Arya (formerly known as Devdutta). The right role is her Shakila act in The Dirty Picture, the response to which has “surprised” her. A t2 chat…

Why are you so surprised with the response to TDP?

I am very surprised! In LSD (Love Sex aur Dhokha), I had a full role and here I’ve got a very small role. But this seems to have grabbed a lot more eyeballs within a week of its release than what LSD grabbed in its entire run at the theatres! So, I am totally flabbergasted! I never took this role seriously, honestly! But I am obviously, very happy… it was a wonderful experience.

Why do you think it has got such a response?

It is a blockbuster film at the end of the day… an out-and-out commercial film. I recently got a message from (trade pundit) Komal Nahta… I was like, are you serious… I am barely there! I am just quite taken aback. From what I was told, it was Vidya’s (Balan) thing. But due to the association with Balaji (production house), it is difficult to say no… and then I met Milan (Luthria), and I remember the first thing he said was, ‘Oh! my god… you are so tall!’ During the look test, they literally chopped my shoes off. And during the dance rehearsals with Pony Verma… we had about two days of rehearsals… Pony was like, ‘You are fantastic! We have to tone it down’.

How did TDP happen?

Oh, it was a very boring process! (Laughs.) I got a call for the screen test and then had a couple of meetings with Milan. I was a little sceptical at the beginning....

Why were you sceptical?

That’s the story of my career so far. When Dibakar (Banerjee) told me about LSD, I was like, how can I be doing this? You are from Calcutta, you come from a certain kind of family.... Of course, these are highly respected directors and writers, but you still wonder where all this is going.

See, I am here to make my mark as an artiste, as an actress, I don’t know how the word got out, but within a few days of our completing the song (Honeymoon ki raat), I started getting offers for item numbers in all these big-banner films. That’s not what I want to do… but honestly, I have seen Milan’s work and he has established himself as a director of repute. So, you don’t mess around when that man tells you that he really wants me on board and that he has loved me in LSD. The conversation with Milan made me take the plunge.

How would you describe your character?

I play Shakila… the name is as raunchy as it gets… she is the rising star in the film and she comes in at a time when Silk’s (Vidya Balan) stars are on the decline. I remember wondering why they chose me for this character because the person on whom this character is loosely based is definitely a lot more well-endowed! (Laughs.)

And you are supposed to be romancing Naseeruddin Shah!

Can you imagine?! I cannot! One moment I am sitting in Bombay and the next moment I am in Hyderabad with elaborate headgear and in an extremely jhakkas costume, standing next to Naseeruddin Shah, the living legend, and my director tells me that you are having an affair with him! He was, of course, very gentlemanly... but I realised that if I would be in that mindset, I wouldn’t be able to have even a smile on my face. After Milan went away, I leaned towards Mr Shah and told him… “It’s a pleasure.” This was in connection to the role… and he just completely burst out laughing… that was the icebreaker.

In certain sequences I was obviously feeling very shy and awkward… almost like the chhuona chhuona mujhe chhuona type… then Milan explained that I need not feel shy or awkward: ‘You are not you. You are Shakila.’ In the song sequences, he (Naseeruddin) was having so much fun. He was like ‘I don’t know how to do this, but I am still going to do it’. It was fun!

What was it like working with Vidya Balan?

She wants to get to know her co-stars... and she is fond of everything Bengali; she just took off in Bangla!

What have you taken away from this film?

I was like a student on the sets, I enjoyed every moment of being there…. What struck me most about Naseeruddin Shah was his patience. Shooting involves waiting and, believe me, it is not easy. There is this man who has been a part of such amazing films just sitting there patiently… I have learned never to complain. Vidya is very focused.

And what is Ekta Kapoor like as a producer?

Once she decides on the film that is going to be made, she will not nit-pick. She definitely has become an expert at choosing the right people and subject. After that she steps back and lets other people take charge.