'Going de-glam was new for me'

She first appeared on the film scene with Yahaan in 2005. Since then Minissha Lamba has acted in a couple of films like Bachna Ae Haseeno and Kidnap.

The films didn't exactly set the box office on fire though her skimpy outfits in Kidnap did manage to keep her in the news.

Now, the actress hopes that she will be noticed for her acting in this Friday's release Well Done Abba directed by Shyam Benegal, where she sports a de-glam look. After all she is playing a village school kid in the movie, which also stars Boman Irani and Sammir Dattani.

Nithya Ramani finds out more. Excerpts:

You don't look gaon ki ladki in anyway...

[Laughs] This is indeed something I have never done before. I play a village girl Muskaan. She's a school-going kid in pigtails, who wears a white salwar kurta with a well-pleated blue dupatta. I have no clue how Shyam sir saw Muskaan in me!

I got a call from his office asking me to meet him, and that he had a role for me in his next film. I didn't think twice, because it was Shyam sir! I was willing to do any role he offered me, as long as I was working with him.

Well Done Abba is a comedy, a political satire and a very entertaining film. Muskaan isn't the stereotypical village girl. She is bold, confident and lives her life on her own terms.

Her father -- Abba aka Armaan Ali -- is a progressive Muslim, who does something to deserve a pat on the back.


Image: A scene from Well Done Abba

'Luck' promises death-defying stunts

He became popular right after his hit debut, but his last film 'Kidnap' didn't do him much good. Now Bollywood's latest heartthrob Imran Khan is hoping to hit the bull's eye with the edge-of-the-seat thriller 'Luck', which releases Friday.

The film is important for not only Imran but also director Soham Shah and its debutante leading lady Shruthi Haasan.

Shah, who disappeared after his 2004 directorial debut 'Kaal' was panned by the critics, is back to prove his mettle with 'Luck'. It is also the launch pad of Tamil thespian Kamal Haasan's daughter Shruthi. In short, a lot is riding on the movie.

Packed with death-defying stunts, 'Luck' is being promoted as an adrenaline-pumping, edge-of-the-seat thriller.

It revolves around mafia don Musa (Sanjay Dutt) whose only ambition in life is to revolutionise the betting industry. For him life is a gamble, and what better way to manipulate the odds than play with those with luck on their side.

The gripping saga has a host of characters from different parts of the world, each with Lady Luck in their favour. With millions at stake, how far each of them go in courting danger and deceit is what will lead the narrative to its climax.

The audiences can look forward to some daredevilry by Imran - he has gone underwater with sharks and has jumped from a helicopter on to a burning train.

In fact, while shooting one of the stunts, Imran injured himself, but he is unfazed.

"Shooting an action film can lead to plenty of injuries. The film required a lot of action stunts, jumping, running, kicking, etc. I got to do a variety of stunts. There was an underwater sequence where we had to shoot with sharks and a cage. For that we were trained in scuba diving. Then there was another one where I had to jump on to a speeding train that was on fire and fight on the train - those were exciting," Imran said.

Shah seems to be fascinated with rugged terrains - if he shot his horror thriller 'Kaal' in the Jim Corbett National Park in Uttarakhand, he went to Namibia to shoot 'Luck' and the final output is said to be a visual delight.

Composer siblings Salim and Sulaiman Merchant have churned