Delicately boned with a face that can launch a million products, A student of psychology Amrita was always fascinated by acting, but never in her wildest dreams had she thought that one day she would pursue it - “Especially because I had no contacts in the film industry at all. I thought it was tough battle if one wanted to establish oneself here. I guess I was destined to be here!”
Having modeled for nearly 35 ads, her decision to act in films didn’t come as a surprise. What came as a surprise was that unlike other models who dropped out of college to pursue their careers, Amrita Rao preferred to thumb down film offers to complete her graduation in psychology. And she has a word of advise for all those aspiring to make it big in this profession. “Don’t be disillusioned and depressed if you don’t get a worthy opportunity here. There are other fields you can excel in!”
Her first modeling assignment was for a fairness cream. “When I was told I would have to audition for it, I said, “Audition?” The word itself made me feel jittery. Thankfully I was not camera conscious. The little bit of acting that I did after reading the storyboard appealed to them. I got through it successfully,” she laughs. But it was the Close-up toothpaste ad that made her a familiar face in the ad world.
Rajkumar Santoshi approached Amrita after seeing her in a coffee ad. “In fact, Santoshi was one of the directors who had contacted me after watching the Perk ad. I had to turn down his film offer because I wanted to concentrate on my studies. When he approached me for The Legend Of Bhagat Singh, Rajkumar Santoshi made it clear to me that it was very brief role and would not require more than five days to complete it. I agreed immediately because I got to play Bhagat Singh’s fiancé. Few know about her. The sacrifice she makes by living as his widow even though they never marry. The character does leave its impact in the film.”
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