Sharing same frame with Bipasha a dream come true: Minnisha Lamba

New Delhi, June 25: She wowed audiences and critics alike with her strong and effective portrayal of an innocent but bold Kashmiri girl in Shoojit Sarkar's 'Yahan' who stands up for her love amid fierce opposition from the army and society.

Yahaan may not have made much of a splash at the box office it nevertheless established the beautiful Minnisha Lamba as an actress who is ''more than just a pretty face''.

Just one film old and Minnisha is already working with a two time National award winning director like Madhur Bhandarkar and sharing the same frame with establish actors like Bipasha and Kay Kay in her forthcoming film 'Corporate', something not many newcomers can lay claim to. Naturally, as 'Corporate' nears its release on July 7, 'Minnisha' is quite excited about it.

''Working alongside actors like Bipasha, Kay Kay and Raj Babbar, whose films I have grown up watching, is a dream come true for me,''Minnisha told UNI in an interview on the eve of release of her film. According to this immensely talented actress, who earned rave reviews for her 'mature' performance in 'Yahaan', sharing the same frame with Bipasha and Kay Kay has proved to be a learning experience as an actor.

''Working with such senior actors only helps to enhance your performance and poses a challenge to you as an actor,''Minnisha said. She is equally effusive in her praise for Madhur Bhandarkar.

''Working with Madhurji has been a pleasurable experience. I have been an admirer of his films and have always cherished a desire to work with him,''Minnisha said.

''Madhur is an extremely generous director who gives a lot of space to his actors. For example, while on the sets, he just used to explain to me the scene and let me do it my own way,''she said.

About her role in the film, she said,''in 'Corporate', I play a Maharastrian girl who joins a multinational corporation full of idealism. It's about how in course of the film, revelations are made and the character discovers how the world around her really is.''

Coming close on the heels of release of 'Corporate' are two more films starring Minnisha. Suresh Krishna's 'Rocky', which releases on July 21, and Raj Kaushal's 'Anthony Kaun hai', which releases on July 28. While in 'Rocky', she is paired opposite the current teenage heartthrob Zayed Khan, in 'Anthony Kaun Hai' she features alongside Arshad Warsi and Sanjay Dutt.

Also on the anvil is Farhan Akhtar's 'Honeymoon Travels Pvt Ltd' where Minnisha is paired opposite newcomer Abhay Deol, younger brother of Sunny Deol. She may be among the fortunate few to bag such meaty projects in the initial phase of her career but for Minnisha, it has been hard work in the last one year since she made her debut in 'Yahaan' in July last year.

Simultaneusly with her film assignments, Minnisha has also been appearing in brand endorsements. Further, she has also appeared in a music video of a song by current musical sensation Himmesh Reshammiya.

''I have been working hard throughout the year. In fact, I was recently signed on by D'damas for endorsing their brand of jewellery,''she said.

Asked about her criteria for taking up a film project, Minnisha said, ''I believe in doing work where I can put my 100 per cent energy. Also, I like to play characters which I think I can completely justify.'' Asked as to which filmmaker she would like to work with, Minnisha said,''I would love to work with Mani Ratham and Yash Chopra in the near future.'' For Minnisha, acting in films happened just by chance. The beautiful actor, who was modeling while studying in a college in Delhi, was noticed by Shoojit Sircar who offered her a role in 'Yahaan'.

However, now that she has acted in films, Minnisha is in love with acting.

''I love acting and emoting before the camera. As long as I get roles which provide me scope as an actor, I will continue doing films,''she says.

UNI