Ileana D’Cruz: I’m not in a relationship with Ranbir Kapoor

Goan beauty Ileana D’Cruz has admitted she’s not in a relationship with Ranbir Kapoor and is very much single. “I am not friends with Ranbir. In fact I don’t have any boyfriends in the industry right now,” said the star who was in Dubai on Friday with co-star Shahid Kapoor to promote Rajkumar Santoshi’s Phata Poster Nikla Hero, out in the UAE on Thursday, and to attend the South Indian International Movie Awards (SIIMA).

“Maybe it’s because I’m pretty demanding when it comes to friendship. But I must say that I enjoyed working with Ranbir [in Barfi![. He’s an incredibly gifted actor – simply amazing,” she told XPRESS.

Phata Poster Nikla Hero is an out and out comedy in which D’Cruz plays ‘Complaint Kajal’, an annoying social worker who bumps into wannabe actor Vishwas Rao (Shahid Kapoor) and what follows is a of confusion and fun. “I got along very well with Shahid. We had fun on the sets. He’s a fantastic dancer and I think this is the most entertaining role he’s ever done.”

Though D’Cruz is from Goa (from a town called Parra near Mapusa), she says she can’t speak a word of her mother tongue Konkani. “We speak only English at home. My dad and grandparents are fluent in Konkani, but we’ve lived in Mumbai where my mum is from.”

So is she fluent in Hindi? “I don’t speak Hindi on a regular basis and I hesitate at times when it comes to speaking in the language. Though I speak my lines in movies, but I often have to dub my dialogues,” she admits.

The slender star said that promoting movies takes a heavy physical toll on her. “You know it’s very tiring being on the road. But thanks to these fabulous make-up artists who prop us up and keep us looking fresh all the time. But, there’s one little trick I’ve learnt on conserving my energy and that’s to sleep it out when flying.”

And how does she manage to maintain such an envious figure? “It is incredibly difficult to follow a diet or do workouts when travelling. In fact I’ve been hogging quite a lot since leaving town, but whenever I’m back in Mumbai I follow a strict regime. That’s what keeps me in shape.”

However, D’Cruz admits she never gives good food a miss. “I absolutely love my mum’s cooking. She whips up some fantastic mughlai stuff and I just love biryanis and kebabs. I’m also very fond of dad’s Goan fish or prawn curry.”

Singing dreams

And if D’Cruz wouldn’t be an actress what would she be? “I would surely have been a singer. You know, we Goans are crazy about music. I’ve been singing for a long time, though not in public. I love singing jazz or maybe Adele. I took up acting as challenge and that’s why I joined movies.”

Were there any awkward incidents in Phata Poster...?’ “Yes quite a few. I’m the clumsiest person you can come across. In one of the scenes, I had someone chasing me. I failed to see a little bump on the ground. I fell flat on my face. It was very comical. It was nice the crew members did not burst into laughter otherwise I would have felt terrible. The scene had to be reshot. In another scene with Shahid, I managed to slam myself hard against a wall.”

And is there any particular Khan the actress would like to work with? “Why do I have to make a choice. I would love to work with all of them. In fact,I’m already working with Saif (Ali Khan) in a new movie. It’s a romantic comedy tentatively titled Happy Ending. However, D’Cruz says she the only person admires most in the industry is Amitabh Bachchan “I am absolutely in awe of is Mr Bachchan. I cannot think of comparing him to an other actor,” she says.

Though D’Cruz has her eyes set on Bollywood, she has a lot of respect for the Telugu movie industry. “I’ve spent so much time in Tollywood. I started my career there. They encouraged me a lot during my initial days. Tollywood actually made me who I am today. Bollywood too has also been a rewarding experience for me.”