SECOND only to Kareena Kapoor when it comes to delivering multibillion-rand blockbusters, Asin has enjoyed huge success with Housefull 2, Ready and Ghajini – with co-stars Akshay Kumar, Salman Khan and Aamir Khan.
Although London Dreams turned out to be a faux pas – her only flop so far in Bollywood – Asin hopes to make amends with Bol Bachchan, where she is teamed up with Ajay Devgn once again.
As she is known for her comic timing, has Rohit Shetty given her gift for comedy prominence in Bol Bachchan?
Asin laughs: “If you know Rohit, you will realise he pretty much sticks to the script.
“He is a director who has a certain vision regarding his films and does not deviate from that. Of course, he appreciates my comic timing, but then he already had a role carved out for me in the film.
“Whatever was narrated to me in the beginning was shot on set with no changes. Everybody went by what was written, with no deviations.
“We were all very clear regarding our dialogue and characters, so there weren’t many improvisations that took shape on set.”
Although Asin and Prachi Desai were around on set, Shetty was constantly engaged with his gang of boys (Devgn and Abhishek Bachchan). Didn’t that make the girls feel a tad alienated?
Smiles Asin: “Well, what can I say? I think Rohit is very comfortable with both of them. He is not a very expressive person and likes to keep to himself. He has known them for decades and has very friendly relations with them. They have their own ‘boy stuff’ to share.
“He is very open and friendly with people he knows and has worked with before. With others, he builds a relationship over time.”
Asin adds: “What is not known about him is that, although he likes to act tough, in reality he is quite a softie at heart. However, the persona works for him.
“Also, he maintains discipline on the sets. For example, in the past I have seen that a few assistant directors are not really sure of what they are expected to do. However, in Rohit’s team, everyone is hands-on because he himself is quite clear about what he requires from people.
“Of course, once rapport is established, he turns very friendly.”
A good friendship also developed between Asin and Bachchan.
Devgn is her on-screen partner, but Asin also shares a few scenes with Abhishek.
“The kind of energy Abhishek carries engulfs everyone in his vicinity.
“Also, since he is very approachable and loves to talk, you can see him engaged with anyone and everyone, right from a junior assistant director to a technical crew member to a spot boy.” – bollywoodhungama.com