While Working in Refugee director J P Dutta says you're a perfect natural before the camera. Do you think you are?
I don't fake anything on screen. When I signed Mr J P Dutta's film I knew exactly what I was getting into, though he didn't narrate the script to me. He never does. I knew I could prove myself as an actress in Refugee. I was more keen on proving my acting abilities before showing my expertise in dressing up glamorously and dancing around trees. I wanted to sock a power-packed performance to the audience.Stardom is something transitory. But to be known as a capable actress requires a lot of struggle. My role in Refugee is a very difficult one. The emotions I had to express weren't completely familiar to me. The adaas and the coyness are just not part of my nature.

Unlike your sister Karisma you are quite an extrovert, aren't you?
Yes, that's me. So portraying a demure, quiet character in Refugee was quite difficult for me. Both Abhishek and I were allowed to be very spontaneous. Our director didn't brief us about what he wanted us to do until the take. Mr Dutta told us what to do only after the camera was switched on. It was very difficult but ultimately very satisfying. Abhishek and I, we did all our emotional sequences spontaneously. We didn't have to use glycerine even once. I have to say, whatever I know about acting I've learnt from Mr J P Dutta. We all grew so attached to one another. I was weeping on the last day of Refugee. No matter how many films I do in my career I don't think I'll be able to forget Refugee."There never was any hard feeling between me and Hrithik. Hrithik is a friend and now he's a co-star.

You were supposed to play the lead in `Kaho Na Pyar Hai'. Why did you opt out after a few days of shooting?
Nothing actually happened. There were certain things about which the director
Mr Rakesh Roshan and I couldn't see eye to eye. I realised it was going to be
Mr Rakesh Roshan making a film for his son. I didn't want any hard feelings when I took a professional decision to back out of Kaho Na Pyar Hai. The media made it out to be some kind of a war.

Why blame the media when Rakesh Roshan spoke about your abrupt departure from his film?
Maybe he did but subsequently he cleared up the matter. Now I'm working with Hrithik Roshan in two films -- Subhash Ghai's Yaadein and Karan Johar's Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gham. Everything happens for the best. I couldn't have hoped for a better debut than Refugee.

You're already deep into other projects, aren't you?
Towards the fag-end of Refugee I started shooting for Abbas-Mustan's thriller Ajnabee with Akshay Kumar though I didn't sign any other film at that point of time. Then I also signed Subhash Ghai's Yaadein which we are going to start shooting in August.

The industry feels you are going to take Hindi cinema by storm. Do you feel a heavy sense of responsibility?
Definitely. But I want to live up to everyone's expectations. I never expected to be welcomed so heartily by the industry. They say Star hai, star hai. But sorry, I don't want that tag as yet.

Has the presence of your sister Karisma helped you find a foothold in the film industry?
From her first day of shooting I've always accompanied her to every set. I've watched her from outside camera range, always wishing to be standing where she was, though you'd be amazed by how different the two of us are before the camera. I'm not moulding myself into her style at all.

Have you made a conscious effort to be different from Karisma?
I didn't. But we are separate individuals -- as an actress and as a person. That has helped me to establish my own identity in the film industry. She's an introvert whereas I love meeting people, talking to them and getting to know them. I am blunt to the point of offending people with my outspokenness. Yes,I have to say my sister and I are very different.

Are you enthused by the idea of being different from other actresses on the scene?
Definitely. I don't think the criteria for success as an actress should be your dancing abilities and wearing trendy clothes. Abhishek and I want to change that.

Was it an acting career for you right from the start?
Right from the age of six I wanted to be an actress. I was sent away to learn computers. Which I did. I also went to Harvard. But if you ask me if formal education helps in an acting career my answer is, no. Acting is something that you either know or don't know. More than anything you've got to leave your intellectual abilities behind when facing the camera, specially for the kind of films which are being made these days.

How do you feel being in the media glare at such a young age?
To tell you the truth, I've been looking forward to giving interviews. I would watch, fascinated, as my sister Karisma interacted with the media. As long as the media is kind to me I'm all for the media.