Aamir Khan's Raghu Jaitley and a whole generation of movie-goers fell in love with her when she clumsily ate a watermelon or lifted her skirt to stop a vehicle and hitch a ride in Dil Hai Ke Manta Nahin.
That was way back in 1991. And pixie-faced actress Pooja Bhatt of the 1990s, who's now a filmmaker, has fallen in love, this time with Jharkhand.
Daughter of filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt and elder sister of current heartthrob Alia, Pooja reached Ranchi on Friday to attend a film festival organised by a local daily.
On Sunday, she visited Hatia Dam to recce locations to shoot scenes for her upcoming film Cabaret, the story of a Jharkhand girl who goes to Mumbai and Dubai, and becomes a dancer.
Before going to Hatia Dam and flying back to Mumbai in the afternoon, Pooja spoke to The Telegraph at her hotel lobby on Cabaret, its protagonist to be essayed by Richa Chadda, Jharkhand's "pristine beauty" and how women are outspoken in her films.
"As the plane was descending, I found myself amid mountains, lush greenery and untamed beauty. People are so real and their smiles so genuine. This is my first visit to Ranchi and Jharkhand and I loved every bit of it," Pooja, looking classy in black, said.
Besides Richa, who has earned acclaim for her recent work in Masaan, Pooja's film also has Gulshan Deviah in the lead. First-time director Kaustav Narayan Niyogi is directing Cabaret, tentatively slated for release between January and March next year.
Leads fixed, what Pooja needed was a waterfall or a large water body.
"I intend to do some location shooting in Jharkhand, preferably at a suitable waterfall or near a large water body for Cabaret. The film is about a girl from a village in Jharkhand, who travels to Mumbai and then Dubai, becomes an elegant cabaret dancer and achieves stardom. Since Richa's character hails from rural Jharkhand, I would like to shoot some scenes in the state."
She added that Richa's beauty matched the "lush, untamed and gentle beauty" of Jharkhand.
Though she said Jharkhand's "pristine beauty" was a "perfect fit" for her film, Pooja added the final decision on shooting in the state would be taken only after she returned to Mumbai.
Shooting for the film was already on, she confided. "We have completed the Dubai part. Some dance scenes are being shot in Mumbai," said Pooja.
"The women in my films, the Jism, Jism 2 and 3, Tamanchey and Holiday are bold. They break social taboos. They look out for love. They give out a strong message that they are not to be treated as mere objects of lust. In Cabaret too, Richa is no exception," said the outspoken Pooja.
Promising to be back in Ranchi soon if she shoot here, she added: "Even if we don't shoot, I will be back in Ranchi with my director to watch a preview."
