FILM INTERVIEW: ASIN

 

The Southie star, who has claimed Filmfares for Best Telugu Actress and Best Female Debut, was on the fast track to become a leading Bollywood actress, what with making her first Bollywood appearance in the blockbuster Hindi thriller Ghajini. Giving what many industry insiders viewed as the best work in the Tamil film Dasavathaaram earlier that same year (she claimed an IFTA award for Best Actress in that film), it seemed as if the world was at Asin’s fingertips.

 

While Ghajini and London Dreams were the only two Bollywood films she could claim to her credit since debuting in the Hindi film industry in 2008, Asin’s career has not entirely blown up…yet. The verdict is still out as to whether Asin is boom or bust as a Bollywood star, yet one thing is for sure: she thoroughly enjoys working with Sallu.

 

“Salman is the best host in B-town. He loves to bring yummy home-cooked meals for everyone in the unit. While we were shooting in Mumbai, he used to get food from his home almost everyday,” Asin -- who starred in 17 Tamil, Telugu, or Malayalam films prior to her Bollywood debut in 2008 -- told an Indian media outlet.

 

“We finished two long schedules for Ready in locations abroad. This is my second film with Salman. We share a great rapport, and he is a chilled-out person. It’s a lot of fun working with him,” she told another press group.

 

Mr. Khan’s gracious personality as a host is not the only reason Asin enjoys working on productions with the Dabangg star; she also enjoys his knack for adventure.

 

“When we were shooting in Kanchanaburi (Thailand), a unit member showed us some insects on a tree and said that they were edible. Then Salman challenged me to eat one. I get a kick when someone throws me a challenge, so I just chewed one insect and everyone was astonished. They thought I was a maniac,” she told the press, adding a similar story about tiger cubs. “I went near a few tiger cubs at a tiger temple during the same shooting schedule. I love animals a lot, and I even fed the cubs. This made people around me feel that I’m insanely bold, but the truth is that the tigers were trained under the Buddhist monks and were harmless.” 

 

Of course, Asin and Sallu do more than just eat odd delicacies or feed tiger cubs. The acting duo also spent quite a bit of time together shooting their latest production, Ready, in several tropical locations just beyond India’s borders.

 

In speaking with another news outlet about her acting experiences in Bollywood beyond her associations with two Khans (Aamir and Salman), Asin said that her limited film resume in Bollywood was more a reflection of personal choices to select the right projects, not because of a lack of offers.

 

“I am a secure person, and I don’t believe in the theory of 'out of sight, out of mind,'” she told The Deccan Herald. “All along, I have never rushed to sign any movie. I work at my own pace. I am happy and content with what I do, and I am not really concerned about how others work or how many films they sign. I have never felt insecure about the so-called competition.”

 

In downplaying the “competition,” Asin may just prove her critics wrong before 2011 comes to a close, as she will not disappear after Ready hits the big screen next month. In addition to starring as Meera in the Tamil production of Kaavalan, Asin is slated to work with Akshay Kumar in the United States, where Housefull 2 will be shot later this year.

 

Through it all, it is becoming evident that Asin, when all is said and done, will have a far more impressive resume than most will ever realize at the moment. Sure, Asin is not on the same watch as her Bollywood heroine counterparts, but then again, the Southie star does not really care either.

 

“For me, monetary considerations have never been the criteria to accept a project. I have never burdened my producers. My priorities are: first and foremost, the script should excite me, followed by my character, banner and, finally, my co-star,” she told The Herald. “I think I have reached a stage when I want to do performance-oriented and meaningful roles instead of being mere arm candy to the heroes.”