What made you decide on your comeback?

I don’t know why they’re calling it a comeback. It’s not like I’m going to be working on 10-12 films at the same time like I used to. It’s just that whenever I came back to India, people would come to me with scripts. I decided to work in this film because I liked the script and I’m very comfortable with Yash Chopra. I’m not committing myself to doing any more films, so it’s not really a comeback.

The general consensus is that you were the last Great Indian Actress. Since then, there has been nobody to take numero uno position. Why do you think that is?

I don’t know why that is. Maybe because the audience has got split up so the idea of a face with universal appeal does not exist anymore.

Actresses who make their debut these days are groomed and styled, unlike during your time…

I literally grew up on screen and I learnt from my mistakes, what looks good on me and what doesn’t. Now, the actresses from their very first film are perfectly groomed and well trained. They look the same in the first film as they do in their fifth or sixth film. There is so much of a difference in filmmaking now, with emphasis on looks and styling. In our time, we would sometimes come onto the sets and the dialogues would be written then and there. There was a lot more spontaneity.

Amongst the newer actresses, who do you think has potential?

... contd.