“People think I am a mad hatter” – Sophie Choudry

By Soumya Anantharaman -

October 10, 2013 - 3:12 AM IST

Sophie Choudry became popular with her songs like 'Mera Babu Chain Chabila' and 'Ek Pardesi'. Known as a popular VJ, singer and performer, this British Indian girl took up acting in 2005 with Shaadi No 1 She also played a very interesting role in the 2006 hit film, Pyaar Ke Side Effects. Last seen with popular bigwigs like John Abraham and Akshay Kumar in Shootout At Wadala and Once Upon Ay Time In Mumbai Dobaara respectively, Sophie has a lot in hand that she is eagerly looking forward to.

Talking about her experience of working with the two big superstars recently, Sophie says, "John is such a gentleman and a sweetheart. I think 'Aala Re Aala' is maximum he has danced ever and it was really fun working with him. And Akshay... he is very shararati! He is got an amazing sense of humour but when he is working, he is focused and very helpful too."

“People think I am a mad hatter” – Sophie Choudry

Sophie had been away from the big screen for a while and making a comeback with two big Balaji films was surely an exciting opportunity for her. "I wish my character in OUATIMD... was a little long! But nevertheless, critics and fans appreciated my role alike. I was really glad to see such a positive response." The actress also revealed about how she bagged the item number 'Aala Re Aala' in SAW... "A lot of people don't know that I got 'Aala Re Aala' because of my video 'Hungama Ho Gaya'. Sanjay Gupta saw the video and offered me the number."

Starting her career in television, Sophie has done some meaty roles in films like Shaadi No. 1 and Pyaar Ke Side Effects. Ask her whether she wants to do more films as an actor and she jumps with excitement. "I think people are under the misconception that I don't want to do films because they think I am busy with my shows and that my Hindi is not fluent. But the truth is even my Urdu is fluent leave alone Hindi!"

Ask her about character preferences and she is quick to reply, "I don't believe in doing lead roles. In fact, one of my most popular roles is Tanya in Pyaar Ke Side Effects. I would want to do roles like that, real and contemporary! Though I am a singer and dancer, I would love to do roles which many not have any of those glamorous elements. Actually people who know me personally think I am a mad hatter. So I guess I would love to do comedy films."

Not ending at that, there are some roles that Sophie would have loved to do if she was offered. "I think Deepika's role in Cocktail was super glam, layered, unpredictable. Also, Priyanka's role in Fashion! I think it was very challenging. At the same time, I would love to do multi-starrers like D-Day which had an amazing ensemble cast," she says.

Talking about the filmmakers she wants to work with, Sophie says, "I think everyone would love to work with Raju Hirani. I love his films. They are clever, heart-warming and relevant. They have a message without being preachy. I would also want to work with Bhatts because they always give interesting roles to women, the music is always good and they are awesome when it comes to marketing. I think we'd be a natural fit!"

While she has a clear picture of her acting career in mind, the actress has won the hearts of her fans by grooving to a lot of peppy numbers. And now revealing about her future plans in her music career, Sophie says, "I have just recently collaborated with the band Vishnu in New York. I am currently working on something not only in Hindi but also in Punjabi. Soon an official announcement will be made."

Defying some misunderstandings; Sophie also spoke about her love for playback "I would love to do playback singing. I guess a lot of people think that I want to sing only for my albums but that is not true!"