Pamela Singh Bhutoria was smiling her radiant smile when t2 met her at Flurys for a briefing for The Telegraph Food Guide Awards that she hosted on March 10. While discussing the script, her eyes twinkled a little more. “I have news!” she smiled. Curious, we dialled Pamela a couple of days later. She chatted with t2 on landing Tigmanshu Dhulia’s Saheb, Biwi Aur Gangster 3, co-starring Jimmy Sheirgill, Sanjay Dutt, Mahie Gill and Chitrangda Singh, her second Hindi film after Kahaani.   

Congratulations! Tell us about your role in Saheb, Biwi Aur Gangster 3...

In the film my character, Deepal, works in close proximity with Jimmy Sheirgill, but there is no love interest. She is extremely intelligent and sharp. She is also very gadget-friendly and I am absolutely not! (Laughs) She basically guides him through something and can also give her life for him. She is a woman of today.

How did the film happen?

I had to audition. Mr Dhulia was looking to cast someone for this character and he happened to meet casting director Mukesh Chhabra. Mukesh, I think, gave him a couple of names and he liked my picture. I was in Delhi. I came back to Bombay to audition and landed the film in 24 hours.

How was it working with Tigmanshu Dhulia?

When I met him, I was super nervous. He doesn’t speak much. And on the sets, everybody is equal. If you are Pamela or Sanjay Dutt he will treat you as an artiste, with a lot of respect. 

And how was it working with Jimmy Sheirgill?

He is the nicest gentleman I have met, a thorough professional. He would do his lines, no matter who they are with. He will help you rehearse. You meet him and he gives you this great vibe.

Did you shoot with Sanjay Dutt?

My bad luck that I didn’t get to shoot with him. 

So, all in all, you had fun?

I had a fantastic time. We shot in Rajasthan... I shot for 10 days.

You have been in Mumbai for four years now. You are juggling it well...

I never had the opportunity in Calcutta to understand my drive or where I was going. Bombay gave me the opportunity to audition, go through scripts and try if I had it in me, which Calcutta never gave me. I wish it happened in Calcutta. Bombay gives you the opportunity to explore yourself. It’s like people were ready to take you in. There was something for you on the table.

Whatever work I have done in Calcutta was with people I knew and they thought I might be suitable. I have always been looked at as sexy. Nobody really thought of me in any other way. This film gave me an opportunity to play a girl who is strong, independent, simple, kind of a tomboy.

Anchoring, acting or modelling… what is priority for you at this point in your career?

You know, anchoring is something that has given me everything I have today. My car, my house… it has also given me the confidence that I can pull it off. Right now I want to act, act and act. I probably never acknowledged the fact that I had it in me…. 

Who are the masterclasses in acting?

I am a hardcore Meryl Streep fan. And Audrey Hepburn. I keep telling my friends all the time that I am slowly turning into Audrey Hepburn (laughs out loud)! From the current generation, it has to be Priyanka Chopra for her courage and the charisma she has. I went to the US for a holiday and in Times Square I saw a life-sized billboard of Priyanka Chopra. I was thrilled!

I have always been a Salman Khan fan. My heart and my soul belongs to him. But I don’t think he is ever going to get married, so I have given up on him. At one point of time I wanted to marry Salman, yes! (Laughs out loud) I live in Bandra and I keep thinking that I will bump into him some day. That’s why I rented this house (laughs). I really like Ranbir Kapoor. I was so jealous when he came to the t2 office. 

But you do miss Calcutta, don’t you?

Pagoler moto! I miss the life I had, the friends… but I don’t think I can live here any more. I, in fact, don’t want to live in cities for very long. Probably in 10 years, I want to move out of cities. 

What is your tip to survive Mumbai?

Please assess yourself… in terms of how badly you want it because it is not a bed of roses. Every day won’t be the same and there will be rejections, which you have to deal with. In this profession, people get the authority or right to judge you on the way you look, the way you sit, talk. You need to deal with that in the right way. So, self-assessment is important.