Mumbai: Ever since her debut in Barfi!, life has been a whirlwind for Ileana. She is neck-deep promoting her next, Happy Ending. Grabbing a glass of juice, she sits down for a chat with us.
With Main Tera Hero and Phata Poster Nikla Hero, Ileana has created a mark for herself in the comic genre. But what made her to give a nod to another film on the same lines? “I didn’t want people to conclude that I am just good for serious roles. I wanted to do something commercial, something that is expected of a Bollywood heroine. But it was never a conscious decision of choosing comedy films; the roles that came my way seemed very interesting. I knew Main Tera Hero was a typical filmy love story but people like watching stuff like that. Happy Ending is very intelligently written, it is very relevant to today’s dead-pan humour.”
Commitment-phobe?
Talking about her role in the film, “I am playing the role of Anchal who writes romantic novels but doesn’t believe in love. She is someone who doesn’t believe in happily-ever-after and lives in the moment.”
When asked if she connected to the character, the petite actress laughed it off saying that her non-belief in relationships helped her connect to the film, “I used to be a commitment phobic at one point in time. I was not the sort of a person who wanted to be in a relationship. Being in a relationship didn’t make me happy. I had a feeling that the minute I would be in one, it would drag me down. But now over the years, my thoughts have gradually changed. I guess everybody goes through that phase.”
Though she still keeps her cards closed, Ileana has gradually opened up about her alleged beau - Andrew Kneebone. It was only a while ago that Ileana took to social media and flaunted a big rock in jest, which in turn sparked off engagement rumours. Andrew, who is an Australian photographer, recently sent a box of goodies on her birthday, thus making it ‘very special’. When asked about the same Ileana quips, “I have never spoken about my relationship. If someone is special to me, I will go out and walk the red carpet with him and I have done that two years ago. I am incredibly clear of what I want to do. Yes, personal life is a major chunk of who I am but I don’t have to necessarily talk about it. I don’t feel I owe an explanation to the media or the audience.”
On-screen relationships
"Happy Ending revolves about Saif’s character and though I don’t have scenes with other actors (Govinda, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Preity Zinta), all of them are interconnected.” She goes on to add how everybody was light-hearted on the sets, “Saif has an amazing sense of humour even though he is a bit weird sometimes. During the first schedule there was a scene where he had a tough time reciting his Sanskrit lines and there were moments where he mispronounced words. I tried to hold back but I burst out laughing which completely destroyed his otherwise perfect shot.”
This would be the first time Ileana will be seen sharing screen space with the King of the Comedy – Govinda. “It was unbelievably amazing to work with him. There are several scenes, where he will be seen in a different avatar. He has added so much more to the film by just being a part of it,” says Ileana excitedly.
Several hilarious clips of Happy Ending have been making rounds; the hitch-hiking scene especially has managed to raise quite a few eyebrows. “That was one of my favourite scenes. I like the fact that it was bold, a bit sassy but it also had certain cuteness to it. It was not sleazy, or over the top but sexy in a very subtle way. The scene was a situational one and the way it was written; it managed to show the comfort level of the two characters,” elaborates Ileana.
To South and back
In her eight-year-old career, besides Bollywood, Ileana has starred in a bunch of South films. It was the success of her seventh film, Jalsa that helped her take the big leap in Bollywood. “I didn’t quite enjoy South films initially but I did them because of the excitement of the job and the fact that I would go around the world for free. I was paid well but it was a completely different culture. I felt like I was in an alien world.” With Sonakshi Sinha venturing into South with Rajnikanth starrer ‘Lingaa’, we asked if Ileana plans to return to her voyage down South, “There are no concrete plans about doing any specific films, “she clarified.
With no other projects in the pipeline as of now, Ileana seems to be completely focusing all her energy on Happy Ending which will be releasing on November 21.
