“I’d like to play a psycho,” says Veena Malik. The Pakistani bombshell known for her raunchy sex appeal gives City Express a glimpse of her darker side. “Also a spy, a cop and a murder,” she reels off. With the recent release of her Bollywood film Zindagi 50-50, it appears the actor is ready for anything, except a break. And she reveals in a telecon from Delhi that Kollywood is next.
“Your South Indian heroes are so manly – the heavy build, those moustaches… not the funny looking boys you end up seeing a lot of in other industries.” Has she been approached for any Tamil projects yet?
“Actually, we have been shortlisting some scripts,” the Big Boss babe reveals. But she keeps the details under wraps. Her nearest association with South cinema has been shooting for the Kannada version of a biopic on Silk Smitha, expected to release next month. The film titled, Dirty Picture: Silk Sakkath Maga, has scenes with some prominent yesteryear actors (or rather their lookalikes) of that time.
“So I did one hit song with a Rajinikanth lookalike,” Veena shares excitedly. “I have tremendous respect and regard for Rajinikanth saab.” She adds after a pause, “If I got a chance to act with him, I would love it. Wait, ‘love’ would be an underrated word to use!”
But love isn’t the only emotion Veena is feeling. “After shooting for Zindagi 50-50, I think I’m going through some emotional trauma,” the actor says candidly. Directed by Rajiv S Ruia, the film portrays the real life story of 21-year-old prostitute Madhuri.
“I spent a couple of days with her and even asked to listen in on some of her client phone calls,” she reveals. To give back, Veena says, “We went to one of Mumbai’s oldest red light districts, Kamathipura (where Madhuri is from), to spread some awareness on safe sex.”
Granted it worked as a great promotional tool for the film as well, with the bold actress interacting with sex workers in a midriff-revealing bustier and skin-tight denim shorts.
So it does come as a surprise when Veena confides, “I think the toughest challenge on set were the intimate scenes.” She adds simply, “People said to me – ‘Veenaji, you are so bold, that must be easy’. But it isn’t. What is meant to be private is never easy to portray on screen.”