I don't consider myself a part of Bollywood

“I have never considered myself a part of Bollywood,” said Lisa Ray. True, after the critics had her head for her performance in her debut Kasoor, opposite Aftaab Shivdasani, no level-headed actress would. But with a not-so-bad performance with Rahul Khanna in Hollywood Bollywood, she remains a part of the industry.
“I have just completed working in Deepa Mehta’s Water.” The controversial film? “That’s not how we look at it,” she laughs.
“To me Water is a very beautiful film based on a very relevant topic,” she says. “I had great fun working with John Abraham, Seema Biswas, Raghubir Yadav among the others.” She still has a long way to go in learning Hindi to deliver her dialogues well, “It is coming along,” says Lisa. “This year I was totally into a full course in theatre in London so it did not happen, but I am working towards it. In fact, I have learnt more Hindi in London than here in India.”
Bollywood maybe out but acting is not. “I have finished shooting for a Canadian film Seeking Fair this October. I play a cop in the film and it was great fun.” That was also when she got a new hair-cut to change her image. “I really love my new self.”
In clear awe of Vikram Bhatt, who gave her her debut in Kasoor as a pragmatic lawyer who falls in love with her client, she is willing to do a film made by him, provided the film is of an Indian sensibility but western in production. “The system should be more efficient. Back in the West, you focus on the job that you have at hand and give it your best shot, not like in India where you have so many plans in so many stages of execution.”
So if she were to have the chance which film would she like to be a part of? “Mughal-e-Azam, I have just seen the film and it is so beautifully made. It was so sophisticated.”
Noor Jahan she maybe but she is in no hurry to choose her Shah Jahan. “Ooh! That’s asking for too much,” she says and after a brief introspection, “No, forget it, I don’t want to fall into trouble.”

Published in Hindustan Times Next in January 2005