Aruna Shields, whose nude scene was passed by the Censor Board

Nothing really is show-much says British actor Aruna Shields, whose nude scene was passed by the Censor Board

How was the experience of working in the movie Prince?
(Laughs) Prince! I survived it didn’t I? I was thrown about, and did a lot of stunts. It took three weeks to learn martial arts, and I haven’t done an action movie before, so it gave me a lot of confidence. It was a good experience It gives you physical confidence, because it’s a strong woman we’re talking about in the movie it’s a Bond girl role, and Vivek (Oberoi) wanted to do all the stunts, and I’m his partner in crime, so I did my own stunts bungee jumping from cliffs, though not all the scenes ended up in the film. But it was quite an experience.

How was it working with Vivek?
Vivek is a very serious actor, I’d say. He prepares and puts more than a hundred per cent in the roles He worked so hard in Prince and I wish him all the best. I’m sure he will do well. And I hear he’s doing (places finger on her lips) I better not tell you what he’s doing, or I’ll get into trouble.

Your next flick, Mr Singh and Mrs Mehta, is very much talked about
It’s all about infidelity, and the mind-set behind it, and what motivates people. I play Neera an estranged housewife who discovers that her hubby is having an affair. In her sorrow, she ends up having a rebound affair and it kind of dwells into her mind-set at that time. It’s devastating the amount of pain people go through when they are lied to in relationships. So, I’m sure people can relate to this movie.

How did you prepare for such an emotionally taxing role?
With any role, I take a lot of time. If I haven’t been through the experience myself, then I try to substitute it with the other’s experience. And I have been lied to, we all have been, and if you had trusted the person who lied to you It’s very confusing and I’m not married. It would be doubly so if you were married and had given your life to this person. So, it’s heartbreaking, and traumatic and leads to a lot of confusion.

Director Pravesh Bhardwaj said that 60 actors had rejected the role of Neera. What made you take it up?
Yes, I know! But, I like Pravesh and he’s a sincere man and very comfortable to work with. He’s an actor’s director. It’s not a seedy film, it’s a beautifully shot film and I have no problems with it. Pravesh spent a lot of time with me. It’s always like being on Big Brother when you’re on the sets. And we became very close. He knew exactly what he wanted; he’s got a very strong vision.

What is your personal take on adulterous relationships?
I’ve told people before that I don’t agree with infidelity and lies in relationships. It leads to secrets and it’s very stressful for the partner to keep on lying to the loved one, it’s just very stressful. So, for either party it’s not a good experience. (Jokingly whispers) So, if you don’t want to get high blood pressure, don’t cheat on your partner.

Such a serious story-line How was the atmosphere on the set?
The atmosphere on the set got a bit sombre at times, especially in the crying scenes. Prashant (Narayanan) is very upbeat, and quite a comedian to work with, so in between takes we would get really good laughs. So, it wasn’t too depressing working with him in the movie.

Does that translate in to onscreen chemistry in the movie?
The onscreen chemistry works pretty well. We get off pretty well off the sets as well. He’s always making me laugh, but he comes across as a very serious person because of the character. But, as a person, he’s very light hearted. If you meet him, you will see what he is really like.

Do you think that Indian censors have been too conservative in handing out an A rating to the film because of the nude scene?
Yeah, but if it got released in England, I’m sure the justification would be different (for an adult rating), and the movie’s rating would be much lower. But, it’s a different story in India we all know it. It’s got an A certificate. I don’t think it’s offensive at all. My character, Neera, is just getting painted and you know, since I come from England, nothing really is show-much there! I’m okay with it.

Nudity, it seems, is still a taboo subject in India. Do you think there’s a bias against actresses who dare to go the distance?
Well, I work internationally. But, I don’t think it would happen that nobody wouldn’t want to work with me. I can work elsewhere! But, I mean, it depends. I got good critical reviews for Prince and I’m an actor, so I will always consider roles whether they are challenging or have nudity it doesn’t matter to me. So, I’m not going to cow down to doing commercial things which don’t challenge me particularly.

All set to make Bollywood your base?
Well nobody knows what the future holds and I have management in different countries. I work in different markets, but if things worked out for me, if things took off well for me, and I decided to move, I would. But I’m a traveller; I don’t really have a home. Maybe I’ll do Hindi movies, depending on the scripts that come my way. And it also depends on who I click with. The director and I just kind of go with the flow

What’s next? What new projects?
I’m doing the epic adventure Ao: The Last Neanderthal, a gritty beauty and the beast love story based 30,000 years ago. I play the heroine. It is by the same French director who made March of the Penguins, and Prophet, which was an Oscar nominated. So, it’s good for me. And it is being distributed in 15 countries I don’t know though whether they have distribution in India. I play a tribal woman in that.

You have done other features too, like Live Baits and Private Moments
Yes. I have done a lot of experimental features, as well as independent features. I’ve done a lot of other pinewood and underwater sequences too, which were really claustrophobic. Believe me, it all helps. And I’ve studied drama before, so even that helps later on.