She made an entry, got noticed and then disappeared for almost seven years.

Fame ke side effects

She made an entry, got noticed and then disappeared for almost seven years.

Actress Chitrangada Singh, who created waves in Bollywood with her acting in Hazaaron Khwaishein Aisi, has finally realised that acting is her calling.

But as she awaits the release of yet another Sudhir Mishra film and checks out innumerable scripts, Chitrangada talks about what makes her wary of stardom:

Perfect 10
You are expected to look like a star all the time. But I'm not someone who likes to be decked up 24x7. In fact, I'm most comfortable wearing t-shirt, jeans and sneakers; no high heels and blow-dried hair for me. Also, you have to watch what you eat all the time. Being a perfect 10 always plays on your mind and you tend to see yourself with a critical eye every time you look in the mirror; I don't think it's nice.

Crazy hours
Contrary to the popular belief that actors have an easy life, it is quite the opposite. We have such odd hours; shoots at six in the morning or late at night. It becomes really hectic. Finding a work-life balance becomes challenging.

Zip on the lip
One major challenge of being a well-known face is that choices you make are blown out of proportion. For example, CWG seems like a big farce, the worst kind of corruption is coming to light. But an actor can't really reveal his or her feeling on something or someone in particular as that opinion then gets construed into a personal verbal attack. You have to be really careful about what you say publicly, which is not to my liking. Also, an actor can't be caught smoking in public or doing things that the moral police may disapprove of. I wish we were left on our own to live our lives at least once in a while.

Green horns
I've learnt that gossip is a package deal in this profession and so I've become immune to it. But gossip that may affect your family is disturbing, especially a family that's not from the industry. Bad publicity can be quite damaging in such circumstances. Hats off to the bigger stars. It's tough for me and I'm still new, so I can imagine how much tougher it must be for them.