You last saw her up on screen in Kidnap and Bachna Aae Haseeno. But she's not your conventional Hindi film heroine; her original aim was to be a war journalist! Extremely well read, Minissha is also widely travelled courtesy her father, who is an hotelier. In this personal interview with VIRGINIA RAI, she shares things close to her heart - teen travails, her fierce stand for independence and much more.

Tell us a little about where you were educated.
Well, I graduated in English Literature from Miranda House in Delhi, where my family is now settled. Earlier I changed a couple of schools since dad was travelling for 10 odd years. So I was at the Chettinad Vidya Ashram in Chennai for two years and then attended an army school.

How come you originally wanted to be a war journalist?
The desire came when a CNN crew stayed at our hotel in Srinagar and I would accompany them on their stories. I was also greatly inspired by Christian Amanpour who goes into conflict areas and has a lot of courage to cover the kind of stories she does. If I hadn't become a heroine, I too would be somewhere out there dodging bombs right now.

Did you pursue this ambition at all?
Yes, I definitely did. I told my parents of my ambition in my second year of college and they thought I was joking. They didn't take me seriously. But I went to the CNN bureau for an internship in Delhi and they couldn't take me without a degree. There was also a huge wait list when a team was going to Afghanistan to cover the war. I was excited to go and then my parents said, 'Oh no, she's serious'. They were quite scared and said 'please decide what you want to do with life - either work or get married. We'd rather you told us you wanted to get married than become a war journalist'. But I'm stubborn and independent and wanted to pursue a career rather than marry that early!

What was different about being a teenager for you?
As a teenager I was very independent and wanted do things at my pace. It was a little tough getting my parents to understand this, since they always want to shelter you. But the turning point came when my father had a heart attack and mom had an accident… I had to get my college admission on my own and be responsible towards the family since I had a younger brother as well. This was the point at which I grew up; the turning point.
Since our family wasn't yet in Delhi at the time I was in college, I lived as a paying guest for a while. It was a great feeling to start living on one's own; there were many girls like me out there from good families. I was very happy to do things on my own; be responsible for my own life.

Your parents must have had a lot of faith in you…
My parents have always been and still are my biggest support. And as a child, the biggest gift you can give parents is to show them a worry free life.
But it's not like I share a relationship where I can share everything - like boyfriends - with them. I respect them and even as a young adult today, I would marry in the technical sense, with their approval. Even if I had a boyfriend as a teenager, my parents were not going to be very happy about that and I could never bring anyone home! Though our house was always open to our friends...

How did you move on from college to film career?
Well even while in college, I did a bit of modelling. I did a few select print ads and commercials like Cadbury, Airtel… whatever you could do from Delhi. I was proud to earn my own money.
Then I signed YashRaj Films Yahan while in my third year of college and, fortunately for me, the film was very well received. So I completed my education and moved to Mumbai in 2005.

You came alone from Delhi; was it difficult to settle in Mumbai and make a foray into Bollywood?
I started the process of getting to know my surroundings first and found myself a house, which is a tedious process in Mumbai! Ever since I have changed rental apartments and the one I'm living in right now is my third. But when I see a lot of people around me who have come from small towns with practically no clothes on their backs, I consider them braver than I. All I knew was that I had something in me and I worked hard. But I have never networked in Bollywood and still don't have any connections with this industry in that sense. As I said earlier, Yahan was a great platform for me, as it gave me something to go on.

How do your parents feel when they see where you've reached today?
They are really proud of the fact that I've done everything on my own. I run my own home, pay my own bills… But whenever they come to visit from Delhi, I just absolve all the responsibility of the house to my mom! And when I visit them in Delhi, they pamper me to the hilt!

What's the one principle you stand by?
I would never compromise on losing my dignity - that's the most important thing to me. A point in my career has come where I won't compromise on what I believe in. But my life or career for that matter has not been very dramatic. There's nothing very scandalous or shocking about it as I've always believed in keeping a balance.

What was your experience of working in Bachna Aae Haseeno and Kidnap?
Without doubt, this film was a high point. I got to play a great range from playing a girl of 17 to a woman of 28 with two children. And I received good response for the film; that's what keeps you going. This film is definitely a turning point in my career and I'm ready for a change right now.
As for Kidnap, I loved the experience of working in this film. It was challenging to play a person who is completely opposed to me in real life. She dresses differently, she's experimental and fun and I'm really glad I got to be this person for a while.

Do you have a lot of friends in Mumbai?
Well I do have a few very good friends who have nothing to do with films. I had a lot of friends while growing up and in college. But if you ask me whether there's that one special person whom I can confide in or sob my heart out to, it's no. In that sense, I'm somewhat of a loner who would rather come home and read a good book.

For all your teenage fans.
You should know what you want in life and pursue that. Don't start smoking and drinking because it's a fad. I don't want to sound very preachy - but that leads to a lot of irresponsible habits and people don't have the responsibility to handle them.

Your motto in life is…
Take each day as it comes. Also if people look at me as a Bollywood celebrity, I'd say I'm still very grounded and realistic. It's not about handling success; it's about still being the person you want to be and not losing your head.

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