Why don’t we see you in more films nowadays?

I am at that stage in my career and my life where I only want to be associated with films that excite me and are worth my while. I have no points to prove.

So how did EMI excite you and how did it promise to be worth your while?

I play a middle-class widow who has no option but to go for an EMI. Fortunately, she is today’s woman and confident. The film is a light-hearted comedy despite the fact that its topic is a serious one — EMI.

Have you ever bought any asset on EMI?

I haven’t and therefore I didn’t know about the major racket of recovery agents. Now, I am knowledgeable about loans and EMIs and the means resorted to to recover the money.

But you must have been inundated with calls from credit cards companies?

Thankfully, I have been spared. But I have seen that they can be really irritating. I feel sad when the receiver of the call is rude to the caller, but they invariably call you at the wrong time — for instance, when you are in a hospital or boarding an aircraft.

This is your third film with Sanjay Dutt after Daud and Khoobsurat...

It’s superb working with him! Sanjay Dutt just keeps getting better. He is one of my favourite co-stars because he is a wonderful person and a tremendous actor.

Has he changed since his Daud and Khoobsurat days of the 1990s?

He’s become more mellow. He was never boisterous but he has mellowed even further.

Strangely, you have taken a karz in both Karzzzz and EMI…

Yeah, I’m a girl who is perpetually in debt. Jokes apart, both these films are completely different from each other. Karzzzz is glamour at its peak while EMI is sans glamour. Karzzzz is a dramatic thriller while EMI is a fun film.

We live our lives in EMIs too. We are always living in bits and pieces, in instalments...

I think so. Unfortunately, we don’t have a lot of time to single-handedly pursue anything. We are torn between friends and family.

Do you have to pay a figurative EMI to anyone from whom you had taken an emotional karz?

The only karz that I will never be able to repay is to my parents for making me the person I am and for always being supportive.

Do you feel that you invite comparisons by revisiting a classic song Mehbooba Mehbooba in Ram Gopal Varma Ki Aag and now a whole film — Karz?

I guess comparisons are a part of the package. But my approach has always been to give an individual touch to the role; I don’t like to copy the original.

There is a lot of buzz about the Karzzzz songs...

It is fantastic, the music is totally rocking. People from the film industry as well as others have been receptive to the songs and the promos. On an average, I get 10-12 SMSs every day for the songs. Everyone from 16 to 60 is raving about Tandoori nights.

How much has the film stuck to the original Karzzzz?

A lot. We have made minute changes in the second half — especially my character — which has made the film a tad more dramatic. We have even tweaked the climax a bit.

Are you sporting grey hair in Karzzzz?

In today’s day and age, even a 90-year-old is not grey. I have tried to play Kamini (Simi Garewal in Karz) differently. I may be an older person but my hair is not grey. Kamini is a worldly-wise, rich and extremely confident woman. Why would she let the grey in her hair show? She probably owns 10 cosmetic companies. I’m hoping that I will write a new language with this character.

Do you regret the fact that you have not worked with Ram Gopal Varma for a very long time?

What is there to regret? We’ll work when the script is good.

Have you seen any films of his lately?

The last film of RGV that I saw was Bhoot (laughs).

Why are you still single?

Nice question! If you see a suitable bachelor, do let me know.