Close X
Wednesday, December 11, 2024
ADVT 
Bollywood

Of Films, Depression, Marriage And Pregnancy: Ileana D'Cruz Opens Up

IANS, 15 Jun, 2018 01:28 PM
    She was all of 18 when her acting career took off, landing her in the cobweb of celebrityhood.
     
     
    But actress Ileana D'Cruz has managed to escape it her way -- by prioritising family over work, maintaining a slow pace, conquering depression that stemmed from superficial judgments by faceless people, and ignoring constant rumours about her marriage and pregnancy.
     
     
    "I'm not pregnant. In fact, I would have been super happy if I was. It's something I have always wanted. But there's still time. I still don't want to become pregnant yet," Ileana told IANS during her Fiji sojourn as brand ambassador, laughing off rumours.
     
     
    There was a hullabaloo when she used "hubby" for her Australian photographer beau Andrew Kneebone on social media, leaving fans and the media playing the guessing game on her marital status.
     
     
    "It's not important for me (to tell the world if I'm married or not). I do tell the world about my equation in a way, and let the world a little bit into my life. But I like it that way because I hate the negativity that comes with it. I've learnt to live with it as it has been a little over 12 years for me in the industry now. But it's really not fair on the so many other people, the families involved," said the 31-year-old actress with Goan roots.
     
     
    Ileana says a relationship is about restraint and respect.
     
     
     
    "There's respect there," Ileana said, adding: "I had a different perception of what a relationship or love is like. I was all giddy-headed and fairytale about it in my head, but it's so different. There's a lot of restraint that you've got to have, compromising in certain situations -- and you've got to have a lot of respect."
     
     
    Respect, in her checklist for a relationship, precedes trust and love.
     
     
    "I feel we've sort of evolved into that," asserted Ileana, who mostly avoids opening up on her personal life to keep it away from being "frivolised".
     
     
    It was Andrew, in fact, who egged on Ileana to see a therapist when depression struck her.
     
     
    "Things had got so bad that I was pushing people away. I didn't realise how much I was alienating people. I would constantly refuse to go out when friends would call. At one point, I didn't realise I was at home for a week... After that, I got an ultimatum from him," shared Ileana.
     
     
    She is calmer today.
     
     
    "Now I don't look at life where I'd say: 'Oh gosh, my life's over if I don't have films any more'. My approach is that there's so much more for me to do... It (depression) really was in a way godsent... That depression and that phase in my life, as horrible as it was, was needed in a way to switch things back and change who I was as a person."
     
     
     
    Now she enjoys balancing her personal and professional life at a pace she controls.
     
     
    Having started her career with Telugu film "Devadasu", Ileana also did Tamil movies and forayed into Bollywood with "Barfi!". Her roles in subsequent movies like "Rustom", "Mubarakan", "Baadshaho" and "Raid" gave her a further push in Hindi cinema.
     
     
    "I'm happy I'm doing films at a slow pace rather than doing anything and everything... I do love my work, but for me, my priority is definitely family, and then work. More often than not, this industry expects you to put work before family. They are like 'The show must go on' irrespective of whatever happens. That's something I like to twist and tweak to my way as much as I can," she said.
     
     
    "The good thing is I have managed to do it all these years. I don't want to look back, say 20 years from now, and feel I have missed out on family and memories," said Ileana, for whom the switch from southern films to Bollywood changed life for the "better".
     
     
    Her choice of cinema has undergone a change too.
     
     
    "When I first started out in Telugu cinema, I signed anything and everything that came my way. I was 18, was immature and it felt like a good idea that 'Oh, they are paying me a good amount of money'. I was young, naive, I had zero ambition and, honestly, it wasn't my calling," she said.
     
     
    "I fell in love with films only two years after working in films. So, my choice really changed with time because there was this seriousness and respect for my work. I felt I owed it to my work to not do a very crap film and to think about what I am doing," she added.
     
     
    "When I was 21, I had this thought that when I am a grandma, I don't want the kids to look at it and say, 'What's that? Why did you do that?' So, I thought I should really think about it properly and do good films," Ileana said.

    MORE Bollywood ARTICLES

    National Awards: Sridevi Wins Best Actress Award Posthumously, Vinod Khanna Gets Dadasaheb Phalke

    The late Sridevi was on Friday named the Best Actress for her role as a vengeful mother in the Hindi film "Mom". Her husband and two daughters are overjoyed and said the legacy of the "super actor" will live on.

    National Awards: Sridevi Wins Best Actress Award Posthumously, Vinod Khanna Gets Dadasaheb Phalke

    'October' Is Low-Key Hotel Drama That Earns Its Emotion Honestly

    'October' Is Low-Key Hotel Drama That Earns Its Emotion Honestly
    "October" may not be your typical action or entertaining film, but the fragrance of the characters and their lives lingers long after you leave the theatre.

    'October' Is Low-Key Hotel Drama That Earns Its Emotion Honestly

    Sikh Groups In Punjab, Haryana Protest ‘Nanak Shah Fakir’ Release

    Sikh Groups In Punjab, Haryana Protest ‘Nanak Shah Fakir’ Release
    Sikh groups held protests at various places in Punjab and Haryana as the controversial film 'Nanak Shah Fakir' released across the country except Punjab on Friday.

    Sikh Groups In Punjab, Haryana Protest ‘Nanak Shah Fakir’ Release

    Priyanka Chopra Has 'Insightful' Conversation With PM Modi

    Bollywood actress and Unicef goodwill ambassador Priyanka Chopra met Prime Minister Narendra Modi for an "insightful" and "positive" conversation on making healthcare accessible for women, children and adolescents in the country.

    Priyanka Chopra Has 'Insightful' Conversation With PM Modi

    Is Anupam Kher 'Too Fast' As Dr Manmohan Singh?

    Is Anupam Kher 'Too Fast' As Dr Manmohan Singh?
    The fast-paced walk of Anupam Kher as Dr Manmohan Singh is not sitting well with netizens.

    Is Anupam Kher 'Too Fast' As Dr Manmohan Singh?

    Arjun Kapoor Slams A Website For Its Derogatory Remarks On Janhvi Kapoor

    Arjun Kapoor Slams A Website For Its Derogatory Remarks On Janhvi Kapoor
    Arjun Kapoor came to his half-sister Jahnvi Kapoor's defence when an online portal splashed her unflattering photographs in an offensive way. He says it's a shame to see how the country looks at young women.

    Arjun Kapoor Slams A Website For Its Derogatory Remarks On Janhvi Kapoor