At a function organized by the Punjabi Kala Sangam, to fecilitate various television artists for the Kala Sangam Awards, twinkle and her aunt Simple Kapadia almost went unnoticed, thanks to their sober outfit - Simple dressed up in a simple salwar kameez and twinkle in soft blue, as unobtrusive as the soft, morning zephyr. When Amitabh Bachchan asked her to come on stage and sing or say something, the little Robin blushed all over an made a sprint for the gallery. This Barassat girl, who sprang into limelight with her lemon tart dialogue delivery and strong nerves , is most self effacing in real life, and yet uncompromising when it comes to speaking her mind and who could have got a better taste of the pie than Gutto? Perhaps the first star daughter, who can call a spade a spade. And keep her mum behind when she goes to the sets.
Excerpts from an interview :
Q : Were you not the daughter of celebrity
parents, do you think you would have fitted into filmdom as
effortlessly as you have?
A : In the first place, I would like to correct you,
nothing in this film industry is effortless or by the blessing of
some. Though to some extent, it does help you get recognition and
the sort of attention which an unattached person in this industry
would not hope to get, there is little likelihood of his or her
succeeding in a big way only on the strength of one's
connections. I know this, since I know how much hard work I have
to put into executing even a simple scene.
Q : Your mother has done some very offbeat
roles, as the one in Rudaali, for instance. Now, that you have
found your ground in the film industry, would you do something
really different?
A : See, this is just the beginning for me. And, remember,
you must not view me as a physical and mental extension of my
mother and father. I have got a fiercely independent spirit. If
you study human behavior, right from the age of two or three, the
child begins to assert his independence, and never does he use
the word NO with more emphasis, however much to the discomfort of
the parents. Yes, I have great respect for my mother, but,
frankly, I am quite happy with what I would like to make high
pretensions to looking forward to the dream role of mine. That
would be insulting the resent, the work I am doing right now. I
am artist and whatever I undertake I do it with great sincerity,
though this might go against my grain on a personal level.
Q : Could you elaborate?
A : Yes, why not? Personally, I would like to do more
meaningful films than what is currently being produced in
Bollywood. In fact, the films from Hollywood which serve as
jumping off point for so many Hindi versions most of which are
really shoddy are so inspiring, not in terms of their content or
acting, but also treatment. Look at their special effects, their
fight sequences and how much they underplay their emotions. In
comparison, our films without final ride high on aloud emotional
note and every thing is so absurdly obvious and formula oriented.
Q : Tell me about you relationships that
have inspired you and those that you have come to accept even if
you have no control over them.
A : I know what you are trying to drive at. I share a very
warm and healthy relationship with my parents, though my mother
is something of a despotic when it comes to professional
criticism. She is so ruthless that she can make me break into a
Niagara fall of tears. But, let me tell between you and me, I
hardly go up to her and her advise on anything professional. Once
during the shooting of Barsaat, I was not able to do scene
straight enough, so asked her advice. No I wouldn't tell you the
scene, heavens no. My sweet mum oh, I still remember the gentle,
mellowed look in her face, as wise as a Dutch uncle or aunt, if
you prefer- began to tell me exactly how I should execute the
scene. I slept over it, gong over it in my unconscious mind,
trying to sort of absorb it in my system. The next day at the
shoot, I did what I believed to be faithful reproduction of what
my mother had advised me. Lo! I couldn't have hammed it up more
even if I was a centipede who had lost count of all his legs. I
got the worst dressing down form Raj Kumar Santoshi. That was the
last time I had gone to seek dear mum's advice.
Q : How would you describe yourself as a
woman?
A : I leave the physical statistics part of it to you
scurrilous scribes. I have often been described as a finely
trimmed female with an hour glass waist. But I was appalled at
the sight of my bum in the scene in Barsaat, which showed me
dragging Bobby. I came face to face for the first time with the
fact that I was filling out, and needed to lighten my plate a
bit.
Jokes apart, I would like to describe myself as a very frank
girl, who is not carrying around the label of her parents with
her every time she talks to someone. I have come to develop an
independent way of thinking, which I think parents really love.
Unlike many other hypocritical glamour dolls in the world , who
are always carrying their mums along on one pretext or another, I
have developed a strong sense of self dependence. I want to
remain free, not free of any sense of self discipline, but free
in a way that I can live my life richly - the only life that God
has given me - the way I would love to.