Chandigarh is no longer the city it used to be: Gul Panag.
"I don't know about the others, but conductor-saab, you must let me buy my own ticket," says Gul Panag, delivering the line with camera-ready ease.
Gul, 35, boards a public bus in Chandigarh, part of the journey she is making from Bollywood actor to full-fledged politician. She has been picked as the Chandigarh candidate for the Aam Aadmi Party or AAP for the national election. The city votes on April 10.
Chandigarh's six lakh voters will choose between her, another former actor Kirron Kher, and Pawan Bansal, who has won four elections to parliament.
"I used to study in Kendriya Vidyalaya here and take this bus to school every day, but far from being a world class service it used to be, it has really deteriorated,'' says Gul, taking on Mr Bansal. "I don't know if he's tried hard enough for this, but Chandigarh is no longer the city it used to be,'' she insists.
Ms Kher is the BJP candidate and has charged Gul with using tweets to make ageist remarks in their political contest.
"I don't know why, as all I meant when I talked about retirement at 60 was that I wouldn't have the energy at that age,'' she said, adding, "If Mr Bansal didn't have a problem with what I said, I don't know why she got offended.''