trisha and shimbu kissing

Dressed in a simple t-shirt and casual denims, Trisha is glowing after watching a sneak screening of her Gautham Vasudev Menon directed Vinnaithaandi Varuvaayaa (VTV). In an offbeat chit-chat, she opens up on the film that’s close to her heart. The film is being remade in Telugu with Naga Chaitanya, Ye Maya Chesave, which is getting ready to hit screens on 26th February.

What are your first impressions of VTV?
It is a breathtakingly beautiful, romantic movie made in typical Gautham Menon style and will pull at your heart strings. I’m happy that I did the film and I honestly think it is the best one that I have done so far.

What makes the film tick?

It is a unique love story. I play a Malayalee Syrian Christian named Jessy. She is a plain Jane, and a lot like me. She is highly opinionated but at the same time, confused. Then, this guy called Karthik comes into her life, creating twists and turns. The basic thread of the film is that love is one of the few things in the world that’s unpredictable.

How did you prepare yourself for the role?

When Gautham narrated the story to me, he insisted that I play the role in the same way that I am in real life. I underplayed it and this gave Jessy the right attitude. In the film, I wear starched cotton saris, my hair looks messy and my gait is very casual. Singer Chinmayi has dubbed for me.

The buzz is that there is terrific on-screen chemistry between Simbu and you...
Gautham Menon makes the most romantic movies as he always manages to showcase great chemistry between his lead pair. In all his films, the chemistry of the lead pair looks real. Simbu and I share a wonderful chemistry on screen due to our deep involvement with the project. Gautham is one of the few directors in the country who never has a monitor on the sets. Still, he always okays the shots in one or two takes.

Is there a liplock between the two of you in the film?

Yes, there is. But the director has integrated it seamlessly into the story. I don’t see anything wrong with a liplock if it is done in an aesthetic manner.

Grapevine is abuzz that there is something brewing between Simbu and you...

(Laughs) I have known Simbu for seven years. He is not my type; not a person I’d fall in love with. He is a great friend, and I believe that one can’t fall in love with a good friend.

Are you in love?
Yes, I’m madly in love with Mumbai. I have fallen in love with the city because it brims with energy and I like the way people live. I was in Mumbai for a long period during the making of Khatta Meeta.

What about your next film with Kamal Haasan?

I had three dreams when I started my career in films and two of them (to do a film with Mani Ratnam, and to meet A R Rahman) have already been fulfilled. Now, the third dream — to be cast opposite Kamal sir — has come true. Earlier, I did a 10-day workshop with him for Marmayogi. He is the most intelligent human being I have ever met.