VluvAnita.net

There’s something about Natassha, the gorgeous newcomer who has been cast in the Tusshar Kapoor-Esha Deol starrer Kucch To Hai. She is Anita, the Telugu actress who has films like Nuvvu Nenu to her credit.
Her performance in her debut Bollywood film has been winning her appreciation and Ekta Kapoor has already signed her for another film with Tusshar Kapoor.
What’s more, Natassha is also doing another film with Esha Deol. Looks like the bonding on the sets of Kucch To Hai has come in handy!

Something about Natassha

By: Shaheen Parkar
January 23, 2003

Along with Tusshar and Esha Deol in Balaji Films’ Kucch To Hai is the new-find Natassha.

One look at her name (that double ‘s’) and it’s obvious that she is part of the Balaji’s numerology brigade. “My real name is Anita Hasanandani,” she says.

“The film’s producers (Shobha and Ekta Kapoor) felt that it did not have the zing to it.

They rechristened me Natassha for the big screen with a double ‘s’ which is numerically correct. It’s not that I am into all this. They wanted it and I agreed.”

If the name Anita Hasanandani sounds even a wee bit familiar it will be because of her modelling stint (Sunsilk, Boroplus) and her Balaji TV show Kabhi Souten Kabhi Saheli.

“It was during the shoot of this soap that I auditioned for the film. Ekta was on the look out for a new face.

She liked my work in Kabhi Souten… Ekta thought I had this innocent girl look which would suit the role in Kucch To Hai.

She made me do a photo shoot with Gautam Rajyadhaksha. In fact even before she could get back to me, there was this buzz on the sets of Kabhi Souten… that I was going to be Ekta’s heroine. It was much later that she told me that I was in the movie.”

In Kucch To Hai, Natassha plays a college student in love with a classmate (Tusshar) who likes someone else (Esha Deol). “More than the romantic angle, Kucch To Hai is all about thrills; you won’t know what to expect next.”

Preparing for the film was no big deal for her. “I knew I had to lose weight and managed to knock off lots of it. Anyway, I always wanted to be an actress.

I wanted to act and make lots of money. I am not from a film background but from a middle-class family in Khar.

After schooling in Bai Avabai Petit, I didn’t pursue my education as I was not at all interested in studies. I even did a job in a communications office for a while.”

Then began the rounds of studios and producers. “When things began to happen, they all occurred together.

There was modelling initially followed by television. I even managed to act in five Telugu films from which Nuvvu Mennu (You and Me) was a hit.”

Incidentally, Nuvvu Mennu has been remade in Hindi called Yeh Dil by Teja. Natassha stars in it along with Tusshar.

Natassha is also part of Ekta’s next film to be directed by Santram Varma with Aftab Shivdasani and Ishaa Koppikar.

It’s clear that she is part of the Balaji camp. “Ekta gave me a break and if she is repeating me in her next project it’s because she thinks I can act.”

The rest, meanwhile, will have to decide after Kucch To Hai.

A twist in the tale

Natassha

Your success has been unexpected and unprecedented…
(Smiles) Yeah, destiny has really been kind to me. I started out as a model three years ago. One day, out-of-the-blue, I got a call from Balaji. I gave a screen-test and was selected as one of the leads for the serial Kabhie Soutan Kabhie Saheli. I was there in 250 episodes and on the strength of that performance I was offered some South films. My success there convinced my mentors to cast me as one of the heroines of Kuchh To Hai.

Obviously, you must have enjoyed shooting for your first-ever Hindi film…
(Interrupts) Tremendously. Down South, I didn’t know the language. I had no idea whether my expressions tallied with the dialogue. I had to rely completely on the director. That wasn’t a problem during KTH. Also, since I was Balaji’s protege the film felt like my own home production. Ekta was most helpful.

How different was it working in Bollywood from working down South?
Well, people here are as dedicated and sincere in their approach to work as there are down South. The only difference is that a 7 a.m. shoot down South would be late by a maximum of 20 minutes while here it all depends on the whim of the star. Then, they are better organised. Everything is planned in detail and they work according to a set, time-bound script. Here, the opposite is true. However, when shooting for KTH Ekta was professionalism personified and thanks to her, others kept their lackadaisical attitude in check.

Launching your career with a thriller is quite a gamble.
It would have been a risk if it wasn’t a Balaji product. I consider it an honour to be debuting under their banner. Today, the audience craves for a good story more than anything else. If I have a well-defined role that fits a definitive framework, then that’s good enough for me. KTH is bound to give me more recognition than a normal love story.

What about Yeh Dil, is it a normal love story or does it deviate from the norm?
In Yeh Dil I’m again working with Tusshar. It is a straightforward tale of passion, but the look is different. The boy and girl are very middle-class. You won’t suddenly find them singing a duet on the Swiss Alps. The common man will definitely empathise with them.

Having worked in the original South film, Yeh Dil must have been a cakewalk for you?
No, actually it was quite difficult. You live with a character for three months and then forget about it. It is difficult to recall the same expressions after a year. Then the set up, the actors and even the language was different. Thankfully, director Teja had handled the original so well that it smoothened the process for me.

Will you go back to working in South films?
If a good proposition comes along, why not?

What about television?
One thing I’m assured of is that Balaji will always be there for me. If I’m not successful in films I can always work in their serials.

What prompted you to change your name from Anita to Natassha?
In the serial as well as down South I worked as Anita. Then a numerologist advised me that I’d be more successful if I adopted the name Natassha.