Where Is The Birthday Girl Antara Mali?

Antara Mali was much more than a Ram Gopal Varma discovery. She was different. Daringly so. She didn't opt for item dances, the trend those days. Instead, she chose a film like Naach, where dance was the mainstay.

Ram Gopal Varma’s Naach was pitched against the digitally improved version of Madhubala in Mughal-e-Azam.

Antara in an interview with me commented, “I don't think Madhubala's and my dances are dissimilar. Both have spirit and soul. They are aesthetically different but both have passion and emotion. I'm very committed. I identified with my character Rewa. I don't break into jigs in the middle of the road like Rewa but I do dance at home. My dance movements manifest her thought process. It is not important to have a comfort level with your co-star. There's no off-screen chemistry between my co-stars and me, whether it was Vivek Oberoi, Rajpal Yadav or Abhishek. We are not friends outside the sets. We do not interact after shooting. But on the sets…boom! There's phenomenal chemistry! Even with Rajpal Yadav in Main Madhuri Dixit Banna Chahti Hoon, though the chemistry there wasn't sexual. With Vivek Oberoi in Company, there was a distinctly sexual chemistry. Same with Abhishek in Naach. When I'm doing a film, that role becomes the essence of my life. Everything else is a distraction. Even a friend calling to say hi is a nuisance when I'm shooting.”

Antara admitted she was a loner. “I have friends, but I rarely seek them out. I cannot do more than one film at a time. It completely occupies my heart and soul. I can't do things I'm not comfortable with. I'd rather be conscious of my weaknesses than strengths. I may have done just a handful of films but people remember all of them. When you are trying to do something different, failure is a possibility. Maybe my films didn't generate hysteria but they've built up my credibility as an actress. No one can wash my career away. After all the hard work, I can't deny that I get disappointed when my films don't work. But I move on."

She added,"Now, a pattern has formed in my working style. I have to accept the restriction and try to broaden my spectrum. But working for Ram Gopal Varma’s banner is not a raw deal. I've just done one outside film, Khiladi 420, and I do not disregard it. I did it after my first release, Mast, to get away from my girl-next-door image. But Khiladi 420 was not the right idiom for me. Right after, I got Company. I won't insult the rest of the banners. But Varma Corporation allows you to do what you believe in.I do get roles outside Varma Corporation, but nothing to titillate my senses.”

About being linked to Ram Gopal Varma Antara had laughed. “Writing that Antara Mali is a good person is boring. That she's in a spicy situation is news. When there's a relationship between two persons, only they know the truth. What others say doesn't matter. The media has to have something to talk about. As long as I'm not caught saying anything ugly, I don't care what they write. But I'd be lying if I said it doesn't affect me. But that lasts only for a while. I stay away from the media glare. I do what makes me happy. There's no time to bother about gossip. It's difficult for me to focus on my career and friends. I want to focus my energy on work. I don't attend parties. I'm connected to my audience only through my work. I'm condemned for being hostile. But I respect my colleagues. I don't like to be glued to the phone or party all night. At the end of the day, I barely have the energy to hold my plate of food. After Naach, I may disappear for a year. Who knows!”

Prophetic words, these. It’s been years since we heard of Antara.