Sheetal Menon

Sultry supermodel Sheetal Menon may have made a rather thanda Bollywood debut last year with Bhram, but she is working in two major films that will be released this year — the first, an Indo-Chinese venture The Desire starring Shilpa Shetty and the Chinese star Xia Yu and Shah Rukh Khan’s next My Name Is Khan.

In The Desire Sheetal Menon is playing an Odissi dancer who is physically attracted to Shilpa’s character. The trained Bharatanatyam dancer was initially reluctant to divulge any details about the character, but later revealed: “My character Nalini is deeply in love with Shilpa’s character. But that’s not her only aspect. There is more to her. She is a brilliant Odissi dancer, a poet and a dreamer.”

On her experience of shooting with Shilpa, Sheetal says: “Though we didn’t interact much, I feel she is very funny and energetic. The scene in which Shilpa’s character comes to know about Nalini’s interest in her takes the cake. When we were doing that scene, she was like ‘Why are we doing this scene?’ And I was like ‘Shilpa don’t make me nervous.’ I was shitting bricks but I was trying to look confident. I hope it turns out well.”

In this ambitious film that also stars Jaya Prada and Anupam Kher, the supermodel-turned actress will be seen in a non-glamorous look. “People have always seen me as a glam doll but in this film I have a no-make-up look which requires just a little bit base, lot of kajal, saris, and my curly hair. It was a difficult role. Such characters don’t come an actor’s way that easily. Everyone told me this role is in the line of Smita Patil’s roles.”

Sheetal has been lucky enough to bag another role which is sure to put her in the headlines. In the much-awaited Karan Johar-Shah Rukh Khan film My Name Is Khan, Sheetal plays Radha, a half-Indian-half-American girl born and brought up in America. “I play Shah Rukh’s shrink and the role has a very strong impact. He is autistic and in one scene gets arrested in LA. That’s when I come into the picture. I help him out and fight for him,” says Sheetal.

Talking about her look in the film, she adds: “I have a very corporate look. I wear blazers, trousers and shirts and my hair is gelled back. It’s a minimal make-up look again.” Sheetal has returned from the film’s LA schedule but major portions with Shah Rukh and her will soon be shot in Mumbai. She says confidently: “I met Shah Rukh. He is very sweet. I am not nervous at all. I think I will be very confident when I am shooting with him.”

Talking about her expectations from both the films, Sheetal confides: “These two films are very important. But I have done my bit and now I can’t really fret over what’s going to happen next. It’s beyond my control. I have learnt a very important lesson from my The Desire co-star Vikram Gokhale Sir, who is almost like a father. He taught me to switch on and switch off.”