Ileana D’Cruz is tucked snug in a chair in her room at Hyatt Regency. The Barfi! belle is feeling “lazy”. We love her instantly for her candour. And, over the next 30 minutes, Ileana, in town for a closed-door Pond’s do, unfolds in layers… the “typical girl” just like you and me. 

Do you often feel lazy like you are right now?

I am a big couch potato. I am such a home bird. Most of my co-stars have called me severely boring. Some of them have called me a schoolgirl, especially in the south. I don’t have the energy to work and then go party and drink, stay out late and then wake up early the next morning and work again. I want to sit at home, have a bath, watch TV, eat in front of the TV… that’s the life, you know! So, I had a little time in the morning and I decided to go and get a massage. Maybe that’s why I am a little lethargic. Feeling really good though… 

So, you are like most of us...

Oh yes... absolutely. Probably worse. 

How did you become an actor then?

I don’t know! I am like, what am I doing in this profession? I am the clumsiest person, at least in the family. I was called butterfingers. I was never given a glass plate to eat from because I would inevitably break something. I don’t know how many times I have fallen on my arse on the sets. 

I think it is the little kick that I get when I am in front of the camera and I have the make-up and hair thing done... I just feel like I am somebody else. And I love that. It’s a weird way of fooling everybody. That’s me, but that’s not really me. I think that’s what really excites me. I cannot keep up the graceful, beautiful throughout. That only happens in front of the camera. 

Who is the real you?

We were filming for Pond’s yesterday and I had this girl with me and she was laughing her head off because before each shot I had this massive thing with my tummy and I kept burping! And we were shooting sync sound. That’s pretty much the real me. But once I am in front of the camera I try and switch off and be a more dignified me. (Laughs) There’s the clumsy side, the graceful side, the formal side, the Miss Prim-and-Proppah. I am a goofball who can be super-graceful in a pair of heels at times. 

I think I am the kind of person who can be a child trapped in a woman’s body and be immensely mature when needed. So I get along with kids like that (snaps her fingers). My nephew and me are inseparable. I think I get pleasure out of doing simple things. For me, the beauty is about those little moments with the family, getting a little house, being in the middle of lovely company and in a lovely place with a few kids running around… that’s the kind of life that would make me happy. The real me is at home… cooking, cleaning, maintaining a house, being with family, going to the grocery store. 

Are you comfortable as an actor then?

Absolutely! I cannot fake it. I love the whole chaotic mess that you go through when you are making a film, an ad film. I wouldn’t have continued acting or done a film in Bollywood if I didn’t love my job. My work is honest. For me, something like  Barfi! is definitely honest. I am terribly passionate about my work, terribly protective and possessive as well. I wouldn’t like anyone putting me down when it comes to my work because when I am acting, I know I am not bullshitting it. I have that kind of pride in me. No one can really say that I haven’t done my best. Maybe I am not as good as they want me to be… I love my work, but I can give it up like that! 

You can?

I can. I am super secure. It’s a job at the end of the day. People need to understand. People get a little too hung up on this facade that surrounds you, the fans… ‘fans’ is such a weird word for me. They appreciate the look that’s made up. If someone comes up to me in the morning as soon as I wake up and says, ‘Oh my god, wow!’, then I’ll be like, okay, that’s sweet, but you know what, you are watching me after being prepped for two-and-a-half hours by professionals who have been working for 20 years. You’ve got to accept that somebody is going to be better than you, there would be somebody else people would rather watch. 

Showbiz has this thing of making people insecure...

It does. In fact, Varun (Dhawan) asked me this when we were working on Main Tera Hero… ‘What about your fans in the south? Don’t they miss you?’ I was like, they have a life and so do I. I am not hung up about fans. I just think it’s a satisfaction I get when I do a job. It feels great when people appreciate you, but I need to get the satisfaction more than hearing it from somebody else.
 

What are you looking for in a script now?

I am looking for something which will make people sit up and take notice and say, ‘Oh, she was nice in the film’ as opposed to, ‘Oh, that was a good film’. After doing so many films and after so many years, you want to slow down. With Bollywood being such a big audience, I need to sort of take a step back. I thought Happy Ending was going to do really well and it didn’t do well at all. I was really upset about it. I was more confused. Saif (Ali Khan) is loved in that kind of a space. 

If a film doesn’t happen after this… 

It’s so weird… (giggles) while I was waiting… I think I was sitting for about eight months and initially I was like, it’s so weird… I haven’t got a real good project coming my way and ironically my last film was Happy Ending! (Laughs) I was like, oh my god! What if that is my last film? It’s so fickle…. 

What do you see yourself doing?

I don’t really know. It scares the crap out of me because I know I am a normal person… I am not like I have to only work in films or I have to be a producer. Before I got into it, I thought I would be a fashion designer because I love sketching. I was fascinated with clothes. That is there, but I don’t think I can do it. It is tough business. 

My dream was always to be a singer. I love singing but I just don’t have the guts to sing in public anymore. I cannot even sing in front of my family. The last time I did that was three Christmases ago... after a bit of liquid courage, I sang karaoke. I sang Aretha Franklin of all people and when I came back to the table, my dad was standing up and clapping. Again, I wasn’t thinking. If I have my guard down, I’d probably sing again. I want to get back to it. I think it’s a shame that I stopped singing. For now, it is restricted to the bathroom. 

How was it listening to Ed Sheeran live?

I love his voice. I am attracted to singers based on their voice, not the music really. So, Ed Sheeran and Adele… big favourites. I just really love Thinking Out Loud. It’s like a wedding, first dance kind of a song… I love the simplicity of his lyrics. He seems to be someone who has come up from down there... I think people like that deserve to be successful. Not the ones that have the fantastic glam squad. I really don’t think Taylor Swift is… I mean she is great, she has amazing fun songs, but voice… Ed Sheeran. 

Who is your all-time favourite?

Keeps changing. My taste in music comes from when I was six. I used to listen to a lot of Alannah Myles… Black Velvet. You cannot top that. Right now, Ed Sheeran is really big. 

The first thing we notice about you is your smile…

Broad smile. (Laughs)

What do you see in the mirror every morning?

I am insanely flawed. I have got my inhibitions, fears... when I walk into a room, do I look all right? Very girlie. Again, that’s the beauty of a woman… someone who is confident but who is a little vulnerable. When I see myself in the mirror, I tell myself not to look at the flaws (laughs) because the first thing I do is look at the flaws. I do take pride in the fact that I am not going to alter the way I look. I have been asked to get braces done, asked to use something to sort out my laugh lines…. I am pear-shaped and I am not going to get implants, sorry! I am happy with the way I look. You don’t have to be a certain type of person. Who is going to look at you if you are going to look like everyone else?  I like to work with what I have. 

You’ve never had body-image issues?

I’ve always had issues. I was always called fat arse. Hey, whatever… I have now realised men dig that! 

The secret of your fab abs...

I do Pilates. If I cannot, I try and walk as much as I can. Pilates is the kind of workout meant for a woman’s body. Your abs really get super tight with Pilates. 

Your stress-busters...

I love cooking. I love making desserts for everyone. I don’t focus on what I am cooking but on cooking. I have been told that my tiramisu is really great… people always get drunk on the rum I put in it. Super easy though! 

What would be on your menu if you were hosting a dinner? 

I would have a Moroccan Chicken thingy… I have been told that my salmon and couscous are also good. 

What message do you have for Ileana the actress who’s comfortable in her own skin? 
Tell t2@abp.in