I drooled over Bipasha in 'Jism', says 'Raaz 3' actress Esha Gupta

New Delhi: Though Esha Gupta is just one film old, still she has been perceived as an actress with potential. Her first film ‘Jannat 2’ received commercial success at the box office, and now she is all set to woo the audiences in Vikram Bhatt’s ‘Raaz 3’. She opens her heart about the idea behind the ‘Raaz 3’, her chemistry with co-actors and her journey in Bollywood so far.

Q: You seem to have a very good tuning with Emraan Hashmi.

A: (Sigh) I love Emraan, he has been really wonderful to me. He understands how a newcomer is scared and petrified all the time.

For me the most difficult thing was the first day of ‘Jannat’, that too at Daryagang road where more than ten thousand people were gathered. I come from Delhi, so I know how Daryagang is. When they told me, ‘O you are shooting in Daryagang,’ and I was like, ‘Are you kidding me?’ I had never given a shot in front of a moving camera, so I was really petrified. Then I saw Emraan, he is great actor you know, he used to give one take shots, and I was like, ‘Oh my god, in this heat, I have to give many takes because I couldn’t get it.’

Every time I used to say something, people started shouting, but Emraan really helped me at that time. Once again, ‘Raaz 3’ got easier because of Emraan. It’s a more difficult and challenging role for me. Emotionally, it’s very strong, it’s stronger than what Sanjana’s character was in ‘Raaz’.

Q: How are you going to be different than Biapsha of ‘Raaz’?

A: Sanjana’s character was only getting scared, yelling, screaming, but my role is much more than that. Even Vikram had to evolve because people expect more from him, but you know after one point of time, when Emraan found that now she is taking things easily, so he used to only pull my leg when we were on the sets.

Q: It must have been very demanding on the emotional front.

A: As you have seen in the promos that I am crying, there are ghosts and all, at that time, I used to cut down from everyone, I was not even reading. I used to remain in one corner because it’s really difficult to come in and out of the required mood; it’s not a nice feeling all the time, so apart from that, when we had normal scenes, he was making fun of me, pulling my leg and all.

I also used to irritate him a lot, I think I was the only clown for him. Once he said, ‘Why you are not tired after such a long shooting,’ and I said, ‘I just love it, it’s just my second film. Plus it’s 3D, how much can I get.’ And I made friends with everyone, my make up artists and stylists were my closest friends on the sets.

I love the 3D team; they were also the part of ‘Avatar’ team. DOP Praveen sir, who is Vikram’s father as well, was the coolest person there.

Q: Though it’s a rarity in Bollywood but you have a lot of good things to say about Bipasha.

A: Bipasha and I had only two scenes together, so we were together for only four days. You know, Bipasha is very secured and I am very secured as well. I have listened to the script, ‘Raaz 3’ is about these three characters and Vikram has played it so cleverly that one is one the darker side while the other is on the positive side. I am a rising star while Bipasha is an established star who is falling down.

Q: The promos of ‘Raaz 3’ suggest that we are going to see Bipasha in a very strong role, and spotlight will be on her.

A: See, the thing is they had to show me stronger for Bipasha to feel insecure; Sanjana had to be good to make Shanaya insecure. Esha Gupta as an actor, looks wise, style wise, dialogue wise, acting, dance, whatever, she had to be good to meet the expectation level. These things were required to make Sanjana eligible for the black magic act.

Q: Loud characters don’t always make strong characters.

A: Exactly, both of us are subdued, we are not loud, you know, you don’t always need to say that you’re the best. Sometimes even silence makes it better.

Q: Are you ready to be compared with Sanjana of ‘Raaz’ because it seems inevitable.

A: It came in 2002, I wasn’t allowed to watch ‘Raaz’, it was an adult film na. At that time, I never thought of doing such a film. For me what was scary is that ‘Sanjana, Sanjana’ happening in the background. I thought who gets scared like that, but when I had to react like that I was like, ‘Baba re, aise kaun darta hai (Who gets scared like that). So, for me, the exciting thing was Bipasha of ‘Jism’ who I drooled over, and Emraan, who I fell in love after ‘Zehar’. For every man, Emraan is his role model because he gets to kiss the hottest women in the industry.

Q: How do you want to be perceived by the audiences after ‘Raaz 3’?

A: I guess, people already know who Esha Gupta is, after ‘Raaz 3’, they’ll know what Esha Gupta is. (Smiles)