'Deshdrohi is not about people from Uttar Pradesh'

We don't see much of Gracy Singh [ Images ] in theatres these days, even though she has given us some of the biggest hits in Lagaan [ Images ] and Munnabhai [ Images ] MBBS. And the people in Maharashtra [ Images ] may have to wait even longer to catch her on the marquee. The actress' new film Deshdrohi has been banned in the state, due to its content.

Patcy N spoke to Gracy, and asked her where she's been all this time.

So what is Deshdrohi about?

Deshdrohi is a story of a common man. It is about being Indian, freedom and unity. I play Sonia, a tapori girl, who meets a man dealing with problems North Indians migrating to Mumbai [ Images ] face.

The film is not about people from Uttar Pradesh [ Images ]. It is about migrating to any part of our country. We should have the freedom to travel and live wherever we want.

How was it working with director Jagdish Sharma?

Jagdish is a very creative director. This is my first film with a lot of stunts and action. He helped me with my stunts and showed me different techniques to try them. I got injured once but it was not major.

After big movies like Lagaan, Munnabhai MBBS and Gangajaal, you are doing films like Deshdrohi. Why is that?

I got a lot of offers after Munnabhai, and I signed many films. But some of them were shelved, and others did not get released. Some of my films were women-oriented films but there are no buyers for such movies.

So it's not like I am not getting films or that I'm choosy. I got a lot of work.

You have been doing regional films off late.

I want to do at least one film in every language. I have done Telugu, Bengali, Kannada and Punjabi films.

What do you do in your free time?

I play with my soft toys. I like that.

You seem to have put on a lot of weight. Won't that hamper your career in Bollywood?

Yes, I am looking overweight in some scenes [in Deshdrohi], as I was shooting for my Bengali film Asheema. I play a middle-class woman, and had to put on weight for that. Since both movies were shot simultaneously, I did not get time to lose weight. Plus, when I don't do my dance rehearsal, I tend to put on weight.

I would like to be part of a dance-based film like Vyjayantimala's Amrapali.

Do you miss working in Bollywood's mainstream films?

No. I am doing mainstream movies. My next film is Midnight, an animated film, and then, there's Siddharth Koirala's [ Images ] Dekh Bhai Dekh. I'm also doing Shankuntala, directed by Indrajit Singh, who also directed me in Chanchal. That will satisfy my dream of doing a film like Amrapali.