THE last time I met Sonal Chauhan was at her apartment in Andheri, where she made some lovely green tea for me. I recall standing next to her as she entered her open kitchen to prepare the chai. Sonal was looking lean, luscious and rosy-cheeked in her skinny denims and a white top, nearly a year ago.
Her face seemed confused, her eyes looking out for something, her ears listening out to every acting offer coming her way and her hands sometimes resting on her sofa, sometimes crossed and sometimes fidgety.
Sonal was still a question mark in the industry.
Enter 2011, and she is just about to wrap up her second film as an actress, titled Bbuddah - Hoga Tera Baap, directed by Puri Jagannadh, starring Amitabh Bachchan.
And what a spooky twist of fate - just as I was interviewing Sonal about Bbuddah and talking about Mr Bachchan, she was right in front of Jalsa - Bachchan's residence in Juhu. Chauhan was talking from her car and I could feel that stretched smile of hers when I last saw her.
And even though it's been a year since I last met her, she was delightful on the other end of the receiver - bubbly and chatty when it came to talking about most subjects, from her second film to the Bachchan family and her uprightness for not taking on films only to earn money.
Her patience and perseverance has resulted in what many just keep dreaming about - a film with the great Amitabh Bachchan.
Come on, Sonal, stop dreaming now!
DEVANSH PATEL: So, we hear that you were Puri Jagannadh's first choice?
SONAL CHAUHAN: I've met Puri Jagannadh before in Hyderabad and so on, but I was his first choice for this role in Bbuddah. He wanted me for the film but even before then, I really wanted to work with him and it's finally happening. I got a call from his office saying that Puri wanted to send across the script to me and he wanted to talk about the film. The rest is history.
DP: And what role do you play?
SC: I cannot reveal anything about my character as of now but I can say this much, that I am playing a college girl who has a mind of her own and is a fashion-conscious woman.
DP: You are blessed to be in the same film as Mr Amitabh Bachchan, considering this is just your second film?
SC: You are right. There was a time when people thought that I was wasting my time after Jannat by not doing any film. But today when I look at it, I made the right choice by not doing certain films just to earn money.
Then again, I am lucky to be doing my second film with Mr Bachchan and who wouldn't be? I think it was worth the wait.
DP: And do you tend to go speechless when in front of Mr Bachchan?
SC: Every time I see Mr Bachchan, I tend to go speechless. I never imagined I'd be like that facing any man. Normally I am not someone who gets nervous among men and people in general. But every time I want to ask him something and he is standing in front of me, I am dumb-struck and wordless.
DP: And did you meet Abhishek Bachchan and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan too?
SC: Both Abhishek and Aishwarya came for the mahurat (commencement of the film) of Bbuddah. Of course, Abhishek couldn't stay for too long as he had to leave for a shoot. I didn't interact much with Abhishek as he was too busy, but what a gentleman he is! He came for the mahurat on time and graced the occasion of his AB Corp film. On the other hand, Aishwarya Rai was there for almost an hour-and-a-half. She was a thorough professional who stood by Abhishek during the mahurat.
DP: Did you learn anything from the much experienced and senior Aishwarya Rai Bachchan?
SC: Every day there are new things I am learning. When Aishwarya came and started to chat with us, she spoke briefly about her films, Raavan and Jodha Akbar. She was telling us that there were times when it was difficult to even shoot, but in spite of that they shot both the films in severe weather conditions sometimes. It was nice to see someone so committed and passionate about their work.
DP: Finally, will Bbuddah redefine Mr Amitabh Bachchan's acting prowess?
SC: Yes, Bbuddah is going to redefine Mr Bachchan. He has been playing many different roles in films but Bbuddah is way different from what he has done before. The audiences are going to love it. In fact, we haven't seen Mr Bachchan like this ever before on the big screen and he is definitely going to give all the younger heroes a run for their money and he is looking so good, it's unbelievable. He is looking hot and handsome.
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