"I won't do what Neha did in Julie!" - Koena Mitra 
By IndiaFM News Bureau, December 8, 2004 - 06:56 IST
Feline features, a kickass figure and a bindaas attitude is what makes her the toast this Friday when Sanjay Gupta's thriller tease Musafir hits theatres. Koena Mitra takes men on a testosterone ride with her baked-bronze look in Saki Saqi.
IndiaFM caught Koena over a cop of mocha where the temptress spills beans about her fascination for the roasted look, why she thinks Abhishek Bachchan makes a great item, the sexiest thing someone told her, 3 things that make a great item girl, and reveals why her bronze skirt in Saqi Saqi kept getting small shot after shot…
Steam up to Koena…
From ramp to the silverscreen, tell us about your shift.
I was a Gladrags supermodel, did a couple of videos, also been a ramp face before I entered Bollywood. But I always had it in me to make it as an actor. So the shift that you see…
You cracked the screen with a sizzling number in Road, how did it happen?
Oh yeah, Khullam Khulla was the number. At that point in time, I treated it as just another item number. Besides, no one refuses a Ram Gopal Varma offer.
Are you a trained dancer?
U bet! I have 12 years of training behind me. I know classical Indian, Odyssey, Manipuri, Kathakali, Latin American that would tap hip-hop, salsa, ramba-samba. Except for Jazz, I am pretty much an equipped dancer.
Phew...that is some count!
[Smiles] Yup! It's very typical for a Bengali household to pack their girl child off to dance lessons, before she can barely walk.
Bong women are extremely sensuous. What do you think makes for that effortless sensuality?
I think it's got to do with our features that are extremely Indian. Add to that the husky baritone and you have a good package on hand.
Where would you say a trained dancer has an edge over others?
Body language. If you observe the body language of a trained dancer, it is unmatched!
Item numbers demand sexuality & skimpy outfits. How comfortable are you with both?
I am very comfortable with my body. Ramp gives you the confidence to face a hundred scanning eyes while my dance background, ensures that the dance movements are never vulgar.
Favorite choreographer
Ganesh Acharya is good with romantic numbers. Ganesh Hegde is a pro on stage. But when it comes to performances, Bosco-Ceaser simply take it away! They are very good!
Any fitness regime that you follow
I do weight training.
One look in the film that you liked best?
I love my current Saqi Saqi look. A lot of blood, sweat and tears went into making it the way it looks on screen today.
Currently the baked-bronze look is in. But what was it when you started out as a dusky damsel?
I simply Love my dark skin. I am born wheatish and like to play around with my natural skin type. So much so that, it was me who threw the idea that I tan for the Saqi Saqi. Sanjay was in a hurry to shoot the number, but I asked him to give me 2 days time. And I got myself a stunning tan. That's how you see my 'roasted look' in Saqi.
Tell us all about the song…
Oh, that was some experience! We had put up a set in Mehboob studios; it was a 6-day shoot in non-AC conditions. And I was given this 35 kg costume to wear. And guess what it was made of …50,000 bronze coins strung together! Through each take, the coins kept falling and skirt kept rising! I had cuts and bruises all over. Heavens! It was a tough schedule and only Gupta's faith in me kept me going.
Give us 3 things that make a great item girl.
You need to have the attitude. Take Isha in Khallas, she didn't have too many dance steps. It was more of throwing a great attitude that straps people to their seats. An arresting body language and the ability to lip-sync very well, something that most dancers goof up.
Pick one actor that you did like to see do an item number?
Abhishek Bachchan
Now that was quick!
[Smiles] Yeah, it's just that I think that he has a very interesting body language. Take it from me, it isn't easy to do that hip-hop thing that he did in 'One Luv'. And look at the song. He simply rocks. Vivek Oberoi is another guy who will make a good item.
Where do you draw the line between being sensuous and vulgar?
That's tricky. Let's put it this way, if I were to do the role of a hooker, I would do a Chameli but refuse a Julie. Kareena was presented fabulously well, whereas Julie was crass. The thin line depends on the way the director wants to capture you from the camera lens.
On dance movement that you have said NO to…
I haven't been asked to do anything voyeuristic as yet. But if I were asked to do something raunchy, then it would a total no-no.
The sexiest compliment someone paid you?
Compliments from men are a regular. It's predictable. But Saqi got me some remarks form women too.
Hmm…like what?
Girls called me up to tell that they loved my look in the film. Women think that I have a great body. But Raj Kumar Santoshi paid me the biggest compliment when he asked me to play Ajay's wife in Insaan. I asked him why he thought I was the ideal choice; he told me that he could see me do a lot more. That was a real high!
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