HENNA
Talks To RS About 'Insaaf - The Justice'!

Aspiring actress Henna made a forgettable debut in the box office disaster Pyar Ki Dhun opposite Milind Soman. However she's hoping the forthcoming movie 'Insaaf - The Justice' will create a much bigger impact. This time she is paired opposite Bollywood hunk Dino Morea and co-stars alongside the likes of Namrata Shirodkar and Sanjay Suri. During an exclusive chat with RadioSargam.com, the newcomer tells us more!

Tell us about your character in Insaaf-The Justice.
I am playing the role of Reena, an investigative journalist, who stakes her life and career to help a rape victim, Kunti, who is played by Namrata Shirodkar, fight for justice. She is bold, sincere and a feminist by nature.

What attracted you to the role?
The role of Reena had a lot of scope for performance. It's not like one of those roles in which a heroine is simply glamorised and made to dance around the trees. Although I feature in some songs, I was given the opportunity to actually perform and play a significant part in the story. It was great to fight for Kunti's justice in the film.

Bollywood stars are hounded by journalists all the time; what was it like playing one?
It was great and very interesting. Every journalist has a talent and ways of extracting the truth from their interviewee. In my role, I have a brilliant knack of extracting the truth, which I loved doing. We veered away from stereotypes too, so I am not wearing any khadi suits or kurtas, or even glasses, to show that I am a journalist in the film. I am wearing casual tops and jeans in scenes, making it more realistic, as young reporters in India dress the same these days.

Was it added pressure working on a movie that is based on real life events?
Not really. If anything it was far more interesting and definitely more fulfilling.

What kind of preparation was involved to get ready for the role?
I met a few reporters from Patna where the real-life incident took place. The meeting gave me a lot of insight and helped me a lot, as it gave me a feel of the whole scenario that took place.

It's Shrey Shrivastav's directorial debut. What is he like as a director?
Shrey is very good with his directorial techniques. He captures the film in a very realistic form, so it comes across as very authentic. His biggest asset is that he can come out of the most difficult situations on the sets, whether it's with technical problems or with the stars. It's a big boon for a new director to handle such inevitable problems with such grace.

What is he like to work with?
He is very easy going and very friendly and good at his direction. I learned a lot from him.

Namrata is supposed to have given a really powerful performance, what do you think?
Yes, she has performed really well. More than that, she fits the role and played it flawlessly. The biggest strength of the film is that the casting is perfect - Namrata suits the role of housewife, Sanjay suits that of an IAS officer, Dino suits to be an IPS officer, and I seem convincing being a journalist. Our performances are very controlled which makes the film even more convincing. It's not overly dramatic or theatrical.

Do you think movies exposing police corruption make a difference?
Yes, corruption exists everywhere, but Insaaf takes the cake, as in this film, a woman is not only raped by a man, but by the law and society itself.

What was the best part about shooting Insaaf-The Justice?
The script was good and very strong; my co-stars were terrific to work with, as was Shrey Shrivastav and the songs are great. But the best was my role! I loved playing Reena.

You've worked with two of Bollywood's sexiest men, Milind Soman and now Dino Morea - who's hotter?
(Laughs) Both are good in their own ways. Although both are hot, they each have different charm altogether.

Do you have any other projects in the pipeline?
Yes, I'm doing 'Dil Diya Hai Jaan Bhi Dengey' of K.S.Adimaan's. I'm doing Shrey's next movie, 'Anjaan', and two films with the banner Magic Mantra Visions, which have yet to be named.