Ayesha Takia is a Big girl now

"It seems I was the only non-smoker in No Smoking. Everyone else was busy smoking all the time, " laughs Ayesha Takia. After her glorious performance in Dor, she was seen in Anurag Kashyap's anti-smoking film.


"Anurag Kashyap has been a good friend for five years. We always wanted to work together. Initially No Smoking didn't have much for me to do. It was a small role of John's wife.

But finally Anurag Kashyap gave me two roles in No Smoking, of John's wife and his secretary. Another actress was to play the secretary. He turned two characters into a double role for me.

Not just that, he added scenes as the film progressed. I guess someone somewhere likes me."

She laughs pleasurably, obviously enjoying her new status as a serious actress. "I think Anurag is a genius. He has the guts to do something different."

For someone who's just 21 Ayesha seems to be playing a lot of wifely roles in films as far-ranging as Shaadi No 1 and Dor.

Ayesha is happy to be building her own niche. "At least Dor has taken me away from this young bubbly image. I hope more people feel that I'm capable of doing something more.

Thank God Nagesh Kukunoor trusted me with Dor….Not that I don't enjoy running around trees. But what I wouldn't give to do more like roles like Dor and No Smoking. People do seem to be offering me a variety of roles. "

Ayesha Takia won't Kiss!!!

To kiss or not to kiss for Nagesh Kukunoor's Ashaayen is no longer the question.

For Ayesha Takia the right not to kiss is unquestionable. But has she said no to Kukunoor's kiss because of boyfriend Farhan Azmi?"

"First of all, I never said no to the film. I said no to the scene. I can't say no to Nagesh. After Dor he's a friend and a director I respect immensely. I still think we can work our way around the scene.

But Nagesh is adamant. So I guess...You know Anurag Kashyap's No Smoking had a kissing and love-making scene. Anurag altered the script for my sake."

Trailing off she comes back with… "But Farhan or no member of my family has anything to do with my decision. My values make me uncomfortable with such a scene. If I go to a premiere with my family, and that includes Farhan, and see myself kissing on screen I'd be very uncomfortable."

Ayesha is one of the rare actresses who has no qualms about the presence of a boyfriend in her life. "True love is so hard to find. And I've found it. These days relationships are so fickle I feel our generation has too many choices.

If we don't change our father mother or sibling why must we change the person whom we want to spend our life with? The prospect of the soul-mate being replaceable is so wrong. Once you know you can change priorities in your life you stop investing your complete self into the relationship."

Is marriage on the cards? "Not right away. But I see no harm in having a career and a home side by side. When I do get married I'll know if I can manage both. Right now God is kind enough to give me a bright career and I see no room for marriage.

However let me add, I'm not one of those actresses who'll marry when her career comes to a dead-end. That's like saying, 'I've no other choice so I might as well get married.' That would be an insult to the person I love."

Farhan is okay with the idea of an actress as a wife. "He's very proud of work. He's not much of a movie buff. But he watches my films. I don't let him watch my silly films—and please don't mention names, ha ha. But Farhan saw Dor. And he loved me in it."

Why did she do the silly films like Shaadi Se Pehle and Shaadi No 1? "I don't regret doing any of my films. I feel every film I've done has helped me reach where I'm today."

At 21 Ayesha feels all her dreams are coming true. "I may not be able to walk around the roads of Mumbai and eat pani-puri on the roads. And very honestly I've no friends…No friends at all in the industry or outside it.

My family and Farhan—and he's part of my family-- are all the friends that I have time for…Yes, it's a good life…Though I don't think I've been given enough chances to prove myself. I think my career has just taken off after Dor."