‘I had to take myself beyond Aisha’

Her latest film, Kai Po Che, can be called an unintended antithesis of Amrita Puri's first, Aisha. While the latter, a modern adaptation of Jane Austen's classic novel Emma, was India's first chick flick, Kai Po Che! rests on its three male protagonists and is adapted from Chetan Bhagat's bestseller Three Mistakes of My Life.

"I am the only woman in the film. No other female character from the book, even minor ones such as the boys' mothers, have been included in the film," says Puri, who plays the sole love interest, called Vidya, in the film that released on Friday.

Though appreciated in her debut film, Puri has done only two other films (including her recent) in the three years since Aisha. She attributes this to her refusal to get stereotyped. The only roles she was offered following Aisha, explains the actor, were of a small-town behenji from North India. "Soon after Aisha, Anil Kapoor advised me to be cautious about getting slotted, even if that meant not doing films for years," she recounts.

Puri's chance came last year with Blood Money, a film that was unlike the glossy Aisha and the youth-centric Kai Po Che. The film allowed her to move beyond her perceived image.

"It was important for me to take myself beyond Aisha in people's minds," says the 29-year old, who graduated in English from St Xavier's College, Mumbai. It was in Xavier's theatre circles that Puri was initiated into acting, a hobby that soon transformed into a passion.

When she is not caught up with films, the petite actor works with theatre groups such AKvarious Productions and Industrial Theatre. "My passion for acting can be attributed to the Naseeruddin Shah plays that my mother used to take me to watch," she says.

However, it took her a few fickle years of career choice options of advertising and journalism before Puri finally decided on acting. Being the daughter of one of the country's best-known CEOs — her father Aditya Puri heads a major Indian bank — the initial years of standing in audition queues were harsh.

... contd.

ALSO READ

The prodigal actor

The Dirty Picture

I am told I’m not commercial enough

Fringe Player