Bollywood's sweetheart Kareena Kapoor

Here is a sentence that I never thought I would write: Kareena Kapoor is no diva.

Notorious for mood swings and stormy walkouts from press interviews, Kapoor was more regal than the resplendent Manish Malhotra outfit she was sporting on Saturday.

After flying into Dubai for a fleeting promotional junket for Kurbaan [Sacrifice] from London at the weekend with her real-life partner Saif Ali Khan, the Jab We Met star was a far cry from the snooty siren we have all come to expect.

In August last year, a tabloid! reporter was at the receiving end of one of their starry tantrums — the pair's late arrival and their cold responses to questions left everyone with a bitter aftertaste.

This year, however, while Bollywood's Brangelina arrived two hours late, their apologies seemed sincere.

Khan got the ball rolling with a flippant response at seeing the group of reporters waiting for him: "Wow, this is something like speed dating. I hope we do well."

In turn, the visibly smitten Kapoor, 29, hung on to his words and kept glancing at him while talking up their latest high-profile romantic thriller, Kurbaan.

With her back to a giant billboard that shows her in a semi-naked state embracing a wounded Khan (naked too!), the star is convinced that the bold poster aptly encapsulated Kurbaan.

"This is actually the only fitting poster for Kurbaan — it shows raw, intense emotions. It's basically cutting-edge, a tale of emotions and a tale of betrayal. It's a love story between a husband and a wife and the story just happens to have terrorism as its backdrop," she said.

Produced by Bollywood heavyweight Karan Johar and directed by Rensil D'Silva, Kapoor added the film isn't a documentary that delves into global terrorism.

"I did not do any research on terrorism before the shooting. Kurbaan is not a documentary — it just so happens that the backdrop is a socially relevant one.

"In the film we are talking more about emotions than terrorism. It's a tale about a girl's life and her journey to terrorism rather than the aftermath of a terror attack."

Kapoor plays a newly married Avantika Ahuja who realises that her husband is a terrorist and that she was being used as a pawn to further his terror operations.

"Eighty per cent of Bollywood films are not real. But Kurbaan is."

The actress said acting alongside her real-life lover was another bonus, but added that her personal relationship with Khan was a non-issue on the set.

The career-driven power couple has been going strong for a couple of years and have even stalled marriage to accommodate their plum film projects.

"Both of us are so involved in our careers that it doesn't really matter whom we are sharing the screen with. Having said that, it's always wonderful to act with such a fine actor. But when I was doing a scene, it was not to impress him. The script led me… And about marriage — it will happen in a while and when we decide, we will tell everybody."

Actors and scientists

Making no effort to mask her ambition, Kapoor — a member of Bollywood's first family — said she revels in experimenting with roles.

"I have always done movies that have strong roles for me. Actors are like scientists, at least the leaders or the good actors are like them. We work in a chemical laboratory, a physics lab and we do experiments. Some experiments work and some don't. The very fact we are trying to experiment shows we are the leaders," Kapoor said with pride.

True to her word, the actress, who made her debut in 2001 with Refugee, will start work on a Bollywood adaptation of Julia Roberts' Hollywood hit Stepmom.

Kapoor — on a career-high since the 2007 hit Jab We Met — is slated to play the stepmum, while Bollywood A-lister Kajol will play the cancer-stricken wife played by Susan Sarandon. "I play the other woman. Of course, they have Indianised it a bit.

"What is impressive is that Karan thought Kajol and I suited the roles. I think Susan Sarandon and Julia Roberts were at the peak of their careers when they did these roles. It is great to think that Karan thinks I am the only actress who could pull off that role."

Asked if she had requested the "Indianisation of the other woman" fearing a backlash from moralists, Kapoor said: "Not really. Julia Roberts got an Academy nomination for it and she didn't get any kind of backlash. Why should I?"

One of Bollywood's highest paid actresses may not turn her back on strong cerebral roles, but she has now decided to scale down on the number of assignments.

"Till now, I was doing four movies a year, but now I have made the conscious decision to cut down on work. Beginning next year, I will only act in two films. With so much work, I never get time to spend with my family."

Labelling herself a "boring person", Kapoor said she is not as vivacious and chirpy as her on-screen personas, even though Bollywood buffs will remember her as the vivacious Geet in Jab We Met and the perky foul-mouthed prostitute in Chameli.

"I am not a fun person — in fact, I am quite boring. What is fun for me is to spend time with my family and friends. With so much work and travel, I hardly get any time," she complained, but admitted that she often nips across to Europe with Khan to recharge her batteries.

"Anywhere in Europe is fine with us. We try to spend a lot of time out of India — away from the bustle of Mumbai and the [entertainment] industry, to recharge and rediscover ourselves."

Surprisingly, her idea of the ultimate dinner date is not posh or over the top. "We love watching DVDs together," she said, painting a blissfully down-to-earth picture of spending private moments with Khan.

"We unwind with a couple of films — mostly Hollywood films. We don't really have time to watch Bollywood films. We hope to see Inglourious Basterds soon."

The reigning Bollywood queen also hopes that the Indian entertainment industry will take a strand or two from its western counterpart.

"I wish Bollywood would make films like Revolutionary Road or Changeling. Those are the kind of movies I want to act in."

But she won't fret about it. With the doting Khan by her side, Kapoor is happy to ride the wave of success.

"Saif is honest and he is an honourable man. He is a solid guy and a great friend."

In short

Kareena Kapoor's aversion to interviews is legendary. tabloid! asks why:

"I am happy to be interviewed if there is a film coming up. I think an actor should be interviewed about her roles rather than their personal life."

Zero hero?

Kareena Kapoor's slim figure is often dissected more than her films. Will she demystify the Indian size-zero brigade?

"Even I am yet to figure that out. I think the media has decided to term me size-zero. I have learnt to take it as a compliment. I guess every girl wants to be slim, fit and healthy. At the end of the day, nobody wants to appear fat on screen... Ours is a visual medium and we can't afford to look fat and slobby."

Did you know?

It was not the huge rock on her finger that got Kareena Kapoor talking. Instead, she said the rings given by her mother — a yellow stone and a pearl ring — made her feel protected. "My mother gave them to me because an astrologer told her that it's good for my stomach problems. I never take them off."

Terror alert

Kareena Kapoor is quick to point out that Kurbaan is not a terrorist-centric love story, but here is her take on the terror strikes in Mumbai a year ago: "I don't think we should be biased towards any religion. All I know is that my city and all of us are really proud to have pulled ourselves together. We were back on our feet. That's our strength. Also, it's wrong to say all Muslims are terrorists."

Kareena's take on...

Her favourite designer: "Manish Malhotra. I feel beautiful in his clothes; Alexander McQueen and Stella McCartney for their contemporary designs."

Her pet peeve: "I am a shopaholic and I love collecting shoes. I have more than 70 pairs, and my favourite shoe designer is Christian Louboutin."

Her sister Karishma: "I feel incredibly lucky to have her as my sister. But you are not going to see us on screen together, because she is pregnant and is not going to act any time soon."

On the label "Bollywood's Brangelina": "These are labels given to us by the media. We are a happening couple today, but may not be so happening tomorrow. We don't take it seriously."