Vidya Balan’s actions speak louder than words. Her talent is her profile, her beauty is complimenting and just two films old Vidya, is all set to captivate again with her third film this Friday. She has already carved a niche for herself with ‘Parineeta’ and ‘Lagey Raho Munnabhai’ and with her latest arrival ‘Salaam-E-Ishq’ she takes a step further. Find out what she has to say about her role and the film in this interview.

Excerpts:

Tell us something about your forthcoming release Salaam-E-Ishq.
Salaam-E-Ishq means tribute to love and the film is the ode to love. The film involves six different couples running parallely and stories about their relationships. The ultimate message is that true love triumphs over all.

Would you like to tell us something about your role in the film? 
My character in the film is called Tehzeeb and I’m paired opposite John Abraham in the film who plays my husband there and I loving call him Ashu. She is a news reporter, passionate about her work and husband. Ashu gives her more preference over his work. They are very different from each other – one an impulsive and other very much grounded. Our is a very lovely love story about a couple madly in love with each other which ones again makes believe that opposites attract. They’re a middle class couple and so they need to do savings and compromise to make their life easy going but they are happy.  But they go through a horrific accident that takes them on the verge of almost changing their life. But they sail across on the strength of true love.

Did the role in this film looked enough challenging like your previous work?
Like my character I was also impulsive and instantly nodded to it when Nikhil Advani narrated the script to me. It’s a real story, every urban couple experiences it and I just loved it. The couple in this track love each other, they want to get out of it when there is problem but despite the life changing situation, they just decide to be together. It’s a beautiful message.

How much did you enjoy working with Nikhil Advani?
It was very easy working with him because he gives you space to perform after showing you the right direction. So there never was any stress on the sets of the film. He will see you perform and than give his inputs on the same. He is very chilled but also conveys his point.

How was your rapport with co-star John?
As he was a very humble person I had a fun time working with him. His one-liners are very popular in the set. They’re truly sparklers and can change your mood instantly. He always appears as if he knows nothing about acting and that’s his greatness. He is the only actor I work in the film and other than that I just have one scene with Akshay Khanna.

How was the overall experience working in the film?
Salaam-E-Ishq is fun and I had great fun on the sets. I hope that energy reflects on the screen as well. I believe in this film and have enjoyed working on it. This is my first film outside Vidhu Vinod Chopra, which is like a home ground for me but I feel I couldn’t have got a better opportunity.

How do you rate the music of the film?
Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy as usual has done a great work. My pick is Ya Rabba sung by Kailash Kher and with lovely lyrics by Sameer. I must have heard it innumerable times. The title song Salaam-E-Ishq is an energetic number and involves all the couples.

What is the highpoint of the film according to you?
Stars are on earth, so should you miss the opportunity to go and watch them. The film will strengthen the faith of lovers and for the ones who don’t believe in love, you’ll start believing it after watching this film. 

What are your forthcoming releases?
My next film will be Eklavya, which is also ready to release. There is Raj Kumar Santoshi’s Hulla Bol arriving at the mid of the year. I’m also doing Sajid Khan’s directorial debut Hey Baby. So I’ve quite an interesting mix of roles coming up. I’m also enjoying doing the different kinds of films.