Kriti Malhotra in Dhobi Ghat

Unlike the other three actors of Dhobi Ghat — Aamir Khan, Prateik Babbar and Monica Dogra — this is your first brush with stardom. What was the Toronto International Film Festival experience like?

The experience had a lot of firsts, not just for me but also for Kiran (Rao), Prateik and Monica. Aamir, of course, has been to many film festivals. But for us this was our first red carpet, first film festival, first press conference, first interviews... we were like super excited. For me, it was like a fairy tale... dressing up, the whole gown and all, it was so much fun.

And a few years back you were just another competitor on MTV Roadies...

Yes, I was there in the very first season. It was a different concept at that time. We were seven of us constantly and not the Survivor kind of format we have now. Ours was the one season where we had the maximum fun. After that a year later I started working with MTV for Style Check, the fashion-based show. I was scripting, editing and directing it. Thereafter I got into costume designing, which is what I have been doing for the last three years.

Why costume designing?

I have always been interested in fashion. I did a fashion diploma while I was studying. Also I did things related to fashion on television. So, I think it was a natural progression. Because when I was working on Style Check, I had really started missing working on fabrics and designs. I have also always been interested in filmmaking. So film and fashion came together in costume designing.

Which are the films you have worked on?

I started with Sarkar Raj. Then there was Delhi-6 and then there was a Dutch film. After that there was Action Replayy and No Problem. I have also been doing a lot of TV promos and commercials.

How did Kiran find you?

I think Kiran was struggling to find the right faces for her film. She didn’t want (established) actors for this film and for this part of Yasmin especially. And she wanted to go through every avenue possible. The first AD (assistant director) on Kiran’s film knew me and I was on his Facebook friends list.

So when Kiran was browsing through the Facebook friends list of everyone on her crew, she found pictures of me. I was asked to screen-test. My first reaction was, are you mad? I dismissed the call completely but they kept calling relentlessly for the next two days. And then out of curiosity I went and did the screen test.

What did you do in that screen test to impress Kiran so much?

I did the screen test alone in a room. I couldn’t perform in front of anyone. I was that shy. I just sat alone with the camera in the room and did what came to me naturally. When my friend called me the same evening and said “Kiran loved it”, I was like, what have I done! I had just got the scene and read it a few times. And I did it in the way I would normally talk. I would say it was luck because Kiran was simply looking for someone like me.

From auditioning in an empty room to shooting on busy Mumbai streets, how challenging was it?

The transition was made easy only by Kiran. When I met her the first time, I told her very clearly that I don’t think I can act, I am only in this because you think I can act. It’s all your decision, please don’t blame me. But Kiran was very sure. I was Yasmin for her. Because I was so shy, she would keep the crew minimal when I would shoot, so that I didn’t get distracted. There was always silence when I would start my shot. We would go to locations and try to wrap up before people even realised that we were shooting a film.

What’s Yasmin like?

She’s a young Muslim girl who’s come from a small town in Uttar Pradesh. She is a new immigrant to Mumbai. She comes with very innocent hopes and aspirations that she will fit into the city and will make it her home. It’s basically her perspective of the city. It’s how the city has affected her and the people she connects with, like the bai, the bai’s daughter, the bangle seller.

Did you have scenes with Aamir Khan? How did they go?

Yes, my character is also connected with Aamir’s character. His Arun is intrigued by Yasmin and builds a relationship with her. It was very unnerving! From being a non-actor to having to perform in front of Aamir Khan... nothing can prepare you for something like that. He is such a phenomenal actor. When he did his first scene in front of me, he gave Kiran three options of how he could play out the scene. I was so mesmerised by that. How does he do that? At some point of time I had to block out the fact that he is Aamir Khan.

Will you do more films in front of the camera or will you go back to costume designing?

Costume designing is still happening... till a few weeks ago. Right now, the film will take priority. Having got an opportunity like Dhobi Ghat and given the kind of film it is, I would definitely want to explore acting also. Even today I would say that the performance I have given in the film is more like reacting to the scene and reacting to the mood rather than acting it out. But since you have to do the same thing over and over again, at some point you have to start acting. That’s what Dhobi Ghat taught me.