Lisa Ray injured while filming Veerappan

Lisa Ray, who will be seen in a never-before avatar in Ram Gopal Varma’s Veerappan, suffered a leg injury during the shooting of the film. Not that it dampened her adventurous spirit. This is the first time she is working with the prolific director and is understandably excited.

Says Lisa, “I’ve been a fan of RGV’s work for a long time. When he narrated the story of Veerappan and explained my role, there was no doubt at all about doing the film. And working with RGV was a dream-come-true, and unique.”

Describing working with him, Lisa adds, “RGV was so clear about every scene and shot that I could relax into the role. I trusted him completely, and that’s very important for an actor. I also loved working with Usha Jadhav — her talent and story are so inspiring — and Sachin, who was a big support on the sets, especially when I broke my toe.”

Lisa indeed fractured her toe during shooting.  Recalling the ‘ouch’ experience, she says, “Though my portions were not shot in the jungle, my work was no less intense.” She loves Ramu’s approach to his actors. “RGV has a very particular approach towards acting. He doesn’t believe in the actor doing homework or a lot of preparation. So, I surrendered to his style of working and it was very liberating. Of course I identify with the character, as that is me, reacting under those circumstances,” she quips.

Lisa says her priorities in life are now different — “At this stage of my life, the priority is to have fantastic experiences. I still have a hunger for film roles and to work with amazing directors. But I also have many other creative outlets, business ventures and a thirst for travel and adventure — and of course a happy personal life and fantastically supportive husband.”

Lisa signs off, saying she feels younger than before now! “When I was younger, I was quite serious and acted a lot older than my age. Now at 44, I probably act a lot younger than what is expected. And that is the coolest thing about getting older: you don’t care what others think, but focus on what makes you whole and happy.”