By Jilawatan

Ready has opened to a huge response with its opening day takings second only to Dabangg. South Indian actress Asin has now managed a second successful film for herself after Ghajini, which means she can now leave the disappointment of London Dreams behind her.

In a conversation with Joginder Tuteja and, Asin talks about her chemistry with Salman Khan and how their professional relationship has grown between the two films and her growing relationship with Bollywood…

lRumour has it you were Salman’s first choice for Wanted before Ayesha Takia stepped in. Also, you were supposed to play his wife (instead of Kareena Kapoor) in Main Aurr Mrs Khanna. Is that true?

Do you think it makes sense to rake up the past when I have opened a new chapter with Salman in Ready? Let me not even comment on whether these rumours were true or not because it is only going to lead to further questions. Let’s ignore the past.

lSo one can assume your interaction with Salman during London Dreams must have come in handy during Ready, right?

Yes, of course it was a smooth working experience with Salman. We were required to spend a lot of time outdoors during the Sri Lanka and Bangkok shoots. I won’t say we were forever having lunches or dinners together, but then when you are out of India, you get to interact a lot more than you would normally do at a Mumbai film studio.

lWhile Salman’s success may have soared in recent years, how about your reel chemistry with him? When you two were signed opposite each other, many wondered if it was a good decision as there weren’t any sparks in London Dreams

I guess it is unfair to talk about chemistry between two actors based on just one film. Yes, London Dreams didn’t work. Chemistry is something that happens when you have a good script to fall back on. When there isn’t anything in the script, it won’t translate on screen. There has to be a certain treatment that accentuates the overall impact.

I knew that would happen this time around with Salman in Ready and the results are there to be seen by everyone.

lDoes this also mean that for Ready the two of you actually sat across a table and discussed how to approach your parts so that you could rock the show in you second outing together?

I guess it is something very basic for the professionals to give their best, based on the script provided to them. We believed in what Aneesji (Bazmee) explained to us for Ready and followed the written part to the T. But no, there wasn’t any conver-sation between Salman and me on how to approach our roles.

lYou are one of the few leading ladies who has been repeatedly called for by Salman. You must share a good comfort level with him by now, right?

When you spend so much with a co-star on set, you need to be very comfortable with him. He in fact keeps track of my work and has apparently seen many of my films. He is very fond of me. I know many actresses say that, but in my case it has indeed been the case. I consider myself quite lucky to be his leading lady in two consecutive films.

The kind of interaction I had in London Dreams helped me to be comfortable with him in Ready. Already the rapport was created.

lWhat is your role in Ready?

I play a girl called Sanjana. She is close to her family and comes back to India, but she has some issues with her uncles. While going through and escaping from her problems she comes across Prem (Salman Khan), who in turn helps her out and also charms his way into her heart.

lDoes the rumour about your relationship with Salman have any effect?

It started during London Dreams and there is no base at all. Well, it’s nice to write something when you don’t have anything to write about. A rumour even came out that we had secretly got married.

lActing with superstars like Salman, how difficult is it to get noticed in the film?

I think it’s not in the hands of the lead actress, but in the hands of the script writer, director, or the makers. Salman is a superstar and is bound to get the adoration.

lSalman is known for his short temper. Did you face something like that?

Actually I never faced it. In Salman I have come across someone who is very pure at heart. Whatever emotion he feels comes out. Salman is straight-forward and will say to your face what he feels about you.

lWhat difference did you find between Salman and Aamir?

Salman is quite spontaneous in front of camera. You have to be very alert while the camera is rolling and you have to give appropriate reactions. It shouldn’t look like you are blanked out so you have to be ready for whatever he throws at to you. Whereas Aamir, if he comes up with any idea he will discuss it with the director and get the approval, so you know what will happen when the camera is rolling.

lWho is the better co-star, Salman or Aamir?

I gel with both of them. With Aamir I did my first Bollywood film Ghajini, which is very close to my heart, and after that I did to back-to- back films with Salman. So it’s difficult to choose.

lBollywood or Tollywood?

Well, I would say I like the Indian film industry. I don’t like to differentiate on the basis of language or region. I can’t choose, as I started my career with south Indian films and recently entered in Bollywood.

lWhat in your opinion is the special aspect of Bollywood?

Bollywood is a bigger platform which appeals to the national audience and it is much more glamorous.

lWhat are your upcoming projects?

After Ready I will be doing Houseful 2 opposite Akshay Kumar.