Actress Ileana D’Cruz is quite popular here in the South and she thanks her favourite director from Tollywood Puri Jagannath for that. “The films here are slightly over the top with songs, drama and action. It’s fun-filled and we perform in a bindaas manner. And working with Puri Jagannath was indeed a great learning experience,” she remembers.
Last seen in the Bollywood comedy Happy Ending two years ago, the actress will next be seen in the Akshay Kumar-starrer Rustom.
She reveals that she was reading a lot of scripts during the break. “I have been waiting for a challenging role. Unlike Hollywood stars, we cannot have fun and keep chilling while we have no work. We keep reading scripts and considering offers and hence the break,” she reveals.
She is all happy and excited about Rustom. “Working with a brilliant actor like Akshay was a great experience. Rustom is a rare Hindi movie which shows a woman cheating on her husband; there were a lot of emotions involved and I did my homework to perfect my performance. It is not a negative role. There were emotional scenes showcasing helplessness and speaking only with the eyes. This could be made possible only because of Akshay.”
So, is it like Priyanka Chopra’s character in Aitraz? “Oh! She looked amazingly hot (in the film). But in Rustom, I am neither playing ‘hot’, nor do I portray a temptress. Doing such challenging parts is risky; trying to change my character in a positive manner was the biggest risk. But going by the trailer, you will have to wait and watch whether the character is negative or positive,” she says.
Explaining about reel or real break-ups, Ileana says, “Leaving a man or woman after being in a relationship is a personal decision. And if something like this happens to me, I don’t think I can ever forgive that person. I would rather prefer moving on in life.
“I have had heartbreaks in my own life, but we decided to move on and wished good for each other. If any relationship turns sour, I do not think we need to take any revenge. I am not saying one cannot be friendly with their exes, but I have never been friendly with any of my ex-boyfriends. Maybe we always have someone else for us. Break-ups happens for a reason and emotional heartbreaks makes us strong.”
Ileana also reveals that she doesn’t believe in God. “With due respect to people who believe in divinity, I do not believe in any supernatural power. I have nothing against them. But yes, I believe in positive energy,” she says.
In times of distress, Ileana depends on the support of her family, “I have a group of lovely people — my mom, dad and sister are always there for me. Having said that, I also believe that destiny has a bigger role in your life.”
