Bold & beautiful

She takes ‘beauty with brains’ to a whole new level; she’s been a beauty queen and has been the showstopper for almost all renowned fashion designers; she’s almost a doctor but knows fully well how to kill with those looks — peach-cheeked actor Aditi Gowitrikar cast her spell on Chandigarh on Monday, during the shoot of her debut Punjabi movie, Myself Ghaint.

She starts off by talking about her ‘almost doctorate’. “I started modelling during the final year of MBBS (1996-1997), thus, couldn’t complete my MD (Gynaecology and Obstetrics). But, even today, I practise medicine on my friends. With god’s grace, everyone is alive!” quips the mother of two.

“I have a 13-year-old daughter and six-year-old son. My work schedule is managed according to their convenience; not mine. They are, and will remain, my first priority.”

Letting us in on her Punjabi debut, Mrs World 2001 says, “I have been cast aptly. Since I don’t have a strong command over Punjabi, my character — the protagonist’s massi — is required to speak broken Punjabi. I play a typical ‘Ekta Kapoor character’ in the film, which I’m sure the audience will love.”

“I am, however, more comfortable with Punjabi people than the language. Before saying yes for the film, I did my research on Punjabi cinema, which is headed in the right direction. Jatt & Juliet is one film that I enjoyed watching,” adds she.

Having been a part of regional cinema — Kannada, Telugu, Marathi — for long, Aditi confesses, “When I entered the glamour industry, I never thought I’d stay here for long. Glamour never fascinated me. I was a doctor who did not even carry a lipstick. I thought I’d work for a year and leave. But, regional cinema and its passion held me back.”

Aditi would next be producing a Marathi film, about which, she says, “I have already read 50 scripts; in the phase of shortlisting the best ones.”

About her modelling graph, she says, “In 1996, I won Gladrags Mega Model and bagged the titles Best Body and Best Face at Asian Super Model Contest in 1997. I left the ramp seven years ago because I’d had enough of modelling. I wanted to do more, explore more.”

Fitness trick: purani jeans
It’s only fair to ask a mother of two with that figure about her fitness secret. “I have a pair of jeans that I have been fitting into for the past 12 years. I keep it safely tucked in, in my wardrobe, and try it out every now and then to check if I still fit in. That’s how I remain fit! Size zero is a big NO for me. It’s just about eating right, in small quantities,
at the right time,” shares Aditi.

Chai with Gaddafi
“Around 2002-2003, a group of models, including me, went to Libya for a fashion show in Tripoli. We were invited for tea to Colonel Gaddafi’s bunker, by Gaddafi himself. When we asked him about having women for bodyguards, he said, ‘I want to change people’s perception of women. Having them as bodyguards implies that I can trust them with my life, which in turn signifies their strength.’ One conversation I’d never forget.”