'Chak De! India' dropout Vishakha happy playing lead

New Delhi, May 30 (IANS) Model-turned-actress Vishakha Singh was first shortlisted for "Chak De! India" but later dropped out. The newcomer from Delhi has no regrets as she immediately got a chance to play the lead opposite legendary filmmaker Kamaal Amrohi's grandson Mashhoor in "Hum Sey Hai Jahaan".

"I was shortlisted for 'Chak De...' but it was my destiny that I was not chosen. I don't regret it. In fact, I think I've got an equally good role in 'Hum Sey...'," Vishakha told IANS.

"In 'Chak De! India', I would have had to share screen space with 15 other girls and here the focus is only on me. But, yes, 'Chak De...' was a wonderful film," she added. Vishakha was here to promote the film.

Initially Mashhoor, who has also scripted and directed the film, had finalised another actress for his debut vehicle, but she left the film during the pre-production stage due to personal reasons.

Coincidentally, Mashhoor was present where the auditioning for "Chak De! India" was taking place and he spotted Vishakha and selected her.

In the film, Vishakha plays the role of a multimillionaire's daughter who gets involved with a crook. "I felt I was too similar in habit to the character and so my reactions in the film have been quite genuine."

A postgraduate in advertising and marketing from the Indian Institute of Mass Communication (IIMC), Vishakha did television commercials before foraying into Bollywood.

"I was not an avid film goer earlier, but Bollywood just happened by chance," she said.

The debutante, however, is clear about the kind of roles she wants to do and the kind of people she wants to work with.

"My first criterion for doing a film was that the people I work with are dignified and respectful and I got that with Mashhoor. Besides, if I feel that if a movie has double meaning, I would put my foot down," Vishakha said.

She does not have a formal training in acting, nor does she have a godfather in the industry. "Maybe having a godfather in Bollywood helps initially, but surviving definitely needs talent," she remarked.

Vishakha already has two other Bollywood films in hand besides one in Tamil.

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