By Hindustan Times
She was the controversy of the city when she made her debut back in 2003 with Hazaaron Khwaishein Aisi. But then, she disappeared from the scene entirely. After a four-year-long break and a toddler (there have been a couple of nondescript film roles and a TV show after), Chitrangada Singh is back in Bollywood, this time with an item number choreographed by Farah Khan for the approaching film, Joker. We listened in as Farah and Chitrangada chatted about films, family and everything under the sun.
Farah Khan: They call you the thinking man’s sex symbol… as though men really think (smiles).
Chitrangada Singh: I FEEL you read my mind…
Farah: How does it feel to be called a ‘hottie’ after your first item song?
Chitrangada: It's been crazy. The one word that I keep reading each time a message comes is ‘hot’. And I’m like, maybe now they're going to say something about my dancing.
Farah: What’s your hubby’s (golfer Jyoti Randhawa) reaction to the object song?
Chitrangada: He said, ‘This is the most up to date you’ve looked.’
Farah: Whenever you get married and feature kids, it’s curtains for a feminine actor’s career in Bollywood. But you’ve come again after a break and a toddler. Do you think that times are changing, or do you continue to hear, ‘Nahi, usko mat lo’ (don’t cast her)?
Chitrangada: I don’t know if people in the market are really saying it, but nobody has said it to my face.
Bollywood actress Chitrangada Singh
Farah: Why did you are taking a break? Was there pressure out of your husband?
Chitrangada: No, there has been nothing like that. I don’t know the way to react to the stories that go around. I BELIEVE that I wasn’t ambitious enough at that time.
Farah: So how did you get ambitious later?
Chitrangada: After having stayed away for four-and-a-half years, there have been times after I would think, ‘Now what?’ That’s once I felt I should get back.
Farah: Have you ever struck the balance now (between films and family)?
Chitrangada: There are good days and bad days (smiles).
Farah: In case you were to choose from a performance-oriented role and a movie where you do two-three songs and because of this generate income by dancing at award functions, which one will you choose?
Chitrangada: Both.
Farah: You can’t do both. They won’t call you to an award function and say, ‘Repeat your dialogues out of your films.’
Chitrangada: (Laughs) To make money, I’ll definitely do a dance number.
Farah: So are you prepared now to accomplish (at functions)?
Chitrangada: Yeah yeah…
Farah: Who do you concentrate on hot within the industry?
Chitrangada: Malaika (Arora Khan).
Farah: I'M talking about men, Chitrangada.
Chitrangada: Men? Hmm. They all are so good. I remember John’s (Abraham) item number in Vicky Donor which was really hot. Salman Khan has always been good.
Farah: You’re being diplomatic.
Chitrangada: But all of them are fantastic.
Farah: In your next item song, which Khan would you choose?
Chitrangada: Farah Khan (laughs).
Farah: Nice answer. Chalo, we’ll both do a sizzling item number next… Are you friends with any of your contemporaries?
Chitrangada: No.
Farah: None of them?
Chitrangada: Nope.
Farah: I LIKE your honesty.
Chitrangada: I don’t know them well enough to be friends.
Farah: I'M curious. Are you a trained Kathak dancer?
Chitrangada: I'VE trained for approximately three years.
Farah: I USED TO BE just told, ‘Ye trained Kathak dancer hai. Isko aapne kaisa dance kara diya’ (She is a trained Kathak dancer but you choreographed her in this kind of manner).
Chitrangada: I USED TO BE trained once I was at school but I haven’t really danced ever since.
