Ileana D’Cruz: While working in south, I never understood how films were made

Actress Ileana D’Cruz began her Bollywood career with great films like ‘Barfi!’ with Ranbir Kapoor and Priyanka Chopra and ‘Main Tera Hero’ with Varun Dhawan. The actress confessed that she never understood how films were made in the south. The actress only thought of finishing her work fast.


“When I was working in south films, I never understood how films were made. In my first ever shot, there was a big shell that was dropped on my belly in slow motion. I even asked the director why we are doing it and he said it would look beautiful... and I wondered ‘Really? But why and how?’ So, each time it happened, I was told, ‘you’ve got a very attractive waist, it’ll look pretty and it’s very feminine’ but I truly didn’t understand it.”


She further added, “I only thought of getting done with it fast. Though I was not necessarily always comfortable about the fact that there used to be lots and lots of shots around my waist, it was something that I dealt with. In Bollywood, at least, I don’t see that happening so much.”


Talking about regional films the actress said, “You see similar things even now. I didn’t understand it then and I don’t understand it now either. I know people see it as objectification of women but I am not too sure if you can say in that aspect. Maybe, but this is how women are looked at — as a form of beauty, a form of art, and I suppose they get picked in a film in this particular way.”


Recalling her journey she said, “I was only 18 at that time and interested in work. I was getting great offers [in South] with big actors and directors and it was all about money. It was only during my seventh film in South when I actually felt that I have to stop doing this.”


The actress concluded by saying, “I was very clear about what I wanted to do here and what I didn’t want to do. So, that also makes a difference and that’s why my career graph has been very different in Bollywood than what it has been in the South.”


Ileana D’Cruz will be seen next in ‘Raid’ film along with Ajay Devgn.