Hrishitaa Bhatt’s debut was a dream one, playing superstar Shah Rukh Khan’s wife in Asoka (2001), but it also brought along with it a burden.

The film did not do too well, and the then 20-year-old Hrishitaa — although noticed by the industry — was overshadowed by a more popular Kareena Kapoor.

Some 17 years later, the actress admits she did not quite do what was expected of her. “When you get launched in a movie like that, people expect you to sign 30 films at a go. That’s a burden. Too many dos and don’ts. I did commercial films like Out of Control, Jawani Diwani, Kisna. And I did a film like Dharm, which was an official selection at Cannes…,” sad Hrishitaa, who was last seen in the forgettable 2016 film 30 Minutes.

Her career may not have been successful by popular yardsticks, but she has enough to be glad about. “I got into modelling for some pocket money and then films happened. I tried doing different kind of films. I did Asoka, Shararat and Haasil… I played very different characters in each film. When I did not get good enough scripts, I started doing regional work,” the actress told us. “I did some south Indian films, Marathi films, Bengali films and these were critically acclaimed. Every actor has his or her own journey. This is my journey, which is why I am different. I don’t know what the dos or don’ts were. I did what excited me. Since I started really young, I had a lot of time. I still have time, especially now when so many different kinds of scripts have started coming.”

Last year, the actress tied the knot with UN diplomat Anand Tiwari. Now, she is looking at making a comeback.

Her next film, Ishq Tera, is releasing in a few days, and she believes this is the right time for actresses who wish to do different content.

“Thanks to the way things have changed, better stories are coming to me too. The audience is also growing in their need for better content. Education of cinema has increased. Now you see web series; you get cinema on phone,” she said.