Amrita Rao is very close to Kareena

She represents one of the most earthly faces in Bollywood. Known for her sensitive portrayals, Amrita Rao is one of the sought-after actresses in town. Of late she has created ripples for being the person behind the much talked about Shahid-Kareena break-up. Basking in the glory of her latest Telugu hit Athidi opposite southern superstar Mahesh Babu, Rao speaks to Ruhail Amin about her life and career

Your Telugu film with Mahesh Babu, Athidi , is doing very well…
Yes, it's a very good feeling that this romantic comedy has become a super-duper hit in Andhra Pradesh. It has grossed more than six-and-a-half crore. We all had worked very hard on this film. When your effort is rewarded like this, it obviously feels great.

Your name is being dragged in the Shahid-Kareena break-up. What do you feel about it?
I would not want to comment on a thing as stupid as this. In fact, I'm very close to Kareena and she praised my performance in Vivah. Even Shahid and me share a great rapport despite what people write about us.

But will this affect your friendship with Shahid?
No, we are both part of this industry and very well know that link-ups go with this profession. Shahid has been really sweet and called me for the premiere of Jab We Met.

You mostly play girl-next-door roles; besides this what would you want to experiment with?
I want to play a psychotic killer. Out-and-out action flicks will also be interesting. It would really be nice, if producers made films in which the girl-next-door was shown to be sexy, hot and intelligent. Have we not seen many such common girls, who have gone on to become big names in various fields?

You are very careful in choosing scripts, no vulgarity for you, right?
Yes, I can never do a role in which I'm not comfortable. But if you give another item number like Deewar, I'm game for it. In fact, Marhaba was beautifully picturised. I believe there is a very thin but distinct line between being sensuous and crass.