Akanksha Puri photographed at an event in Mumbai.
Actress Akanksha Puri, who features in Madhur Bhandarkar's film
Calendar Girls, said that the film is not just about the world of modelling, but has a very strong emotional core too.
"Contrary to people's assumption, this isn't just about calendar girls and modelling. It's an emotional journey of five girls from different economic backgrounds and how their lives take a detour when they participate in a calendar shoot," Akanksha told IANS.
She also said that Mr Bhandarkar's 2008 film
Fashion is completely different from
Calendar Girls.(Also Read:
The Calendar Girls Say Film Does Not Show Pakistan in 'Bad Light')
"What you may find similar in all his films is the element of reality. All his stories are quite realistic, easy to relate to and hence, people assume they're similar. But none of us felt so while working and I'm sure the audience won't too," she added.
Akanksha was shooting for a Malayalam film when she got a call from Mr Bhandarkar for the film.
"I didn't take the call seriously. I was under the assumption that super models will be required for this project. But when I got a call from the casting director, who informed about a meeting with Mr Bhandarkar, I dropped everything and went to see him," said Akanksha.
"He was very clear about each character and was extremely positive about the movie. In that instant, I knew I was a part of the project. I had mentally prepared myself to become Nandita Menon, the character I play in the film," she added.
Regarding Mr Bhandarkar, Akanksha said: "Since he had mostly collaborated with established actresses like Kareena Kapoor Khan and Priyanka Chopra, I assumed he'd be difficult to work with. But when I went to the sets, the environment was so much fun and he turned out to be extremely friendly."
"I've been offered several Hindi projects, but they weren't as good as the south projects. I waited as I didn't want to start my Bollywood innings with a bad film," she added.
Calendar Girls released on September 25.