The Bru Cappucchino ad was her claim to fame. Soon she graduated from the small screen to the silver screen. 22-year-old Megha Burman talks to us about her big break, her forthcoming projects and more.
Beginnings
I was born and brought up in Kolkata. I later moved to Bangalore for Class XI and XII and then to Mumbai for my graduation. I studied Mass Media and Communication. I was brought up in a cosmopolitan set up. And it was in Mumbai that avenues in modelling opened up for me. My first ad campaign was the Bru Cappuccino commercial, which got rave reviews. I have also acted in plays penned by Gulzar.
Getting into films
My career graph went soaring high after the first commercial. At that point of time director Hari and cinematographer Malini were scouting for a heroine for their film in Mumbai. I met them and gave a 45-minute audition. And luckily, I got selected. And that’s how 'Ankit, Pallavi and Friends' happened. My toughest challenge there was learning Telugu. The first few days, I was struggling with the words but soon I got the hang of it. I used to take down the dialogues in English. Watching my dialogues in someone else’s voice was a little weird though. But before 'Ankit, Pallavi and Friends' happened, I wanted to leave for higher studies to New York.
'DAM 999'
I would say that this came all of a sudden to me. I was at a shoot in Mumbai when I got a call and I had to go to Kochi – Alleppey for the auditions and a screen test. Three days later, I was confirmed the role. I pretty much love my character in the film. I portray the 'Shringara Rasa' , which is all about love and beauty. I play a Pakistani girl named Raziya, who sticks on to traditional values and yet is modern. She falls in love but does not get acceptance from her family. There’s more to this role.
Bollywood calling
I have got an offer from a big banner, which I will confirm as soon as I finish shooting for 'DAM 999'. It’s a youth-oriented story, revolving around six youngsters — three boys and three girls. If confirmed, this would be my first proper Bollywood film. But I had done a small role in a Mahesh Bhatt film, 'Paap' (Pooja Bhatt’s directorial venture), where I played the villain’s daughter.
Inspirations
Back in Mumbai I never miss out Rajit Kapur in action. I haven’t missed a single play of his. Ashish Vidyarthi , Vinay Rai and Vimala Raman are also great. I must make a special mention of Joshua Fredric Smith, who asks me a lot about Suriya (laughs).
Passion
Back in Kolkata I used to ride horses. Theatre too has been a great passion
Dance
I'm not trained in classical dance. I first learnt contemporary dance from Tanushree Shankar and then from Shiamak
Davar
Other ad projects
Motorola, Pepsi, Tata Docomo, Fastrack Watches, Sony Cyber Shot etc.
Favourites
I am fond of Naseeruddin Shah, Amitabh Bachchan, Aamir Khan and Hrithik Roshan. Down South, I like Suriya and Vikram. 'Pulp Fiction' , 'Cinema Paradiso' , 'Song of Sparrows' , 'Bicycle Thieves' , 'Sholay' and 'Jab We Met' are among my favourite movies.