Gracy Singh, remains unfrazzled

her first hindi film has been sent for the oscars. naturally, she's thrilled. "i'm keeping all my fingers crossed," grins gracy singh. "wouldn't it be great if lagaan makes it? astrologers have predicted that the film will win lots of awards." it's been six months of a high for the girl who played gauri in one of the biggest hits of 2001. after lagaan scored with its cricket match, came the star shows in the us and canada.says gracy, "nothing can be more of a morale booster than the vibes from a live audience. their acceptance suffuses you with confidence. though i've done dance performances on stage earlier, i wasn't prepared for the huge stadiums and turnouts over there. but the crowd response was so overwhelming, especially in dallas and toronto, that all the butterflies in my stomach flew away." the actress, though, hasn't been able to cash in on the success of her debut film. there's no queue of producers waiting to sign her on. "so what?" counters gracy, "look, i'm in no hurry. i'm not greedy to reach the top. i'm listening to scripts and a couple of them do sound promising. i'm not going to take on anything that comes my way. i've heard some weird stories, just a string of songs shot abroad. honestly, can such films work?" continues she, "i'm interested in working with directors whose work i've admired for years. like yash chopra. the emotions he brings out in his films are amazing. talks are on with shyam benegal too but i'd rather he make the announcement before giving out details." hey, i'm not just a village belle the buzz is that producers are running in the opposite direction because she's asking for a cool rs 50 lakhs per film. eyes almost popping out of her head, the actress screams, "what rubbish. what on earth are you talking about? i'm not aware of this at all. and don't say my secretary has been asking for that figure. i've known him for three years and he'd never do anything without my knowledge." taking a deep breath, she continues, "fame and money have always been secondary for me. the role of dinki in the tv serial amaanat has got me enough recognition. even when we were touring abroad i had people coming up and asking me why i was no longer in the serial." adds she, "i'd never refuse a good film on account of the price the film-maker wanted to pay me. i've refused films because the scripts didn't excite me. since film-makers can't say i rejected their scripts, to save face they're accusing me of demanding an astronomical sum. i seem to have enemies around here who don't want me to succeed." next gracy will most likely be seen with tusshar kapoor in the hindi remake of the telugu film badri. "the film has a cute story. i know every film can't be a lagaan," she argues. she'll start shooting for satish kaushik's next with anil kapoor come february. there's also a film down south with nagarjuna which is a love story. but wasn't she nixing south films earlier? nodding, she states, "that's before i discovered how professional they are in the south. their films are made on schedule and released on time. of course, the dialogue is a nightmare but they're sweet enough to take small shots so i can manage. the lengthy shots do make me nervous. but i know i need the experience. i can't just sit at home till the right projects come my way." but that's just what gracy did for a year after her work on lagaan was over. frowning, she disagrees, "that's not entirely true. i kept busy learning bharat natyam. anyway i couldn't take on any films during that period because my contract didn't allow me to sign new films till lagaan released. and no, i have no regrets about refusing any of the films that were coming my way then. not one would have pushed my career any further. i was confident that better offers would come my way after lagaan and they have." i seem to have enimies who dont want me to succeed after a pause, she sighs, "i was aware that the character of gauri would create an image problem for me. though i can't see why it should. please, the village belle was a character i portrayed. i'm equally capable of playing any character i'm asked to. i love acting. i don't have to prove anything to anyone." easing up, she adds, "i'd love to experiment, play different characters which i find convincing. i look at a film in toto. the character i play will only work if the film as a whole gells." the only character she'd be reluctant to portray is a negative one. "i think it's too early for such a volte face. something similar to what rekha played in khoon bhari maang would be challenging but after some years." although gracy agrees that marketing oneself is very important in showbiz, she can't push herself. "this profession is full of show-offs. i'd rather my work speak for me. i'm serious about my profession and i know i'm good at what i'm doing. i've never paid attention to staying in the limelight." isn't she afraid of being left behind in the race? still on her lagaan trip, she says, "i already have such a big hit behind me. i can afford to wait. i have nothing to lose. ideally, i'd like to do one or two films every year. so that there's no over- exposure. i'm inspired by aamir khan." finally overcoming her fit of giggles, gracy volunteers, "i don't believe in competition. i have no idea about what the other girls are doing. believe me, i've had a fantastic experience working here. both aishwarya rai and preity zinta were most encouraging when we were together on the shows." there's another mindset gracy shares with aamir khan. she doesn't believe in awards either. her logic: "everyone works hard. only one person can win. that's so unfair."