20 Years of Paap EXCLUSIVE: “The money I was offered for Paap was the same that I would have earned for 3-4 days of shoot as a model. I was like, ‘Really? This is how

Paap (2004) completed 20 years on January 30. It also means that Udita Goswami completed 20 years as an actor. This was her debut film and thanks to her performances and looks, she caught attention. Paap is remembered today more for its songs but watching it again in 2024 is refreshing as it doesn’t look dated in terms of story or visuals. The cinematography is breathtaking, to say the least.

As Paap celebrated its 20th anniversary, Udita Goswami spoke exclusively with Bollywood Hungama about the film and a lot more. The actress also opened up like never before about her acting career and why she switched from being an actor to being a DJ.

How did you bag your debut role in Paap? I was busy being a model and I was making great money. I was very happy. I had even signed up with one of the biggest modelling agencies in Paris. For many, I was too skinny but for them, I was overweight. I was in the process of walking and jogging to lose some weight. One day, I got a call from Pooja Bhatt who expressed the desire to meet me after she saw my pictures in Elle magazine. I did not come to Mumbai; instead, she flew down to Delhi to meet me. Even before, I had got offers from 3-4 films. I won’t name those films. And I declined those offers as they didn’t interest me. But I was interested in taking up Paap as I was a huge fan of Pooja Bhatt. What worked was that she was directing the movie. I got a little star-struck and moreover, your ego also goes on a high when someone, who is so famous, calls you and comes all the way to Delhi to sign you.

Then, I was also told that John Abraham would be paired opposite me. For me, that was a double whammy as I always felt that he was a very nice-looking guy. By the time I started modelling, John Abraham, Bipasha Basu etc. had already graduated to doing films. Unfortunately, I couldn’t do any shows with him. Hence, this (working with John) was also quite cool.

Did you audition for the role? Or was there a screen test? My screen test was nothing. I just counted from 1 to 10 in different emotions! I don’t even exactly know what I did as I didn’t know how to act. 2 days later, I was told to come to Mumbai to do a photoshoot with John Abraham as part of the look test. It was an indirect way of saying that I am already on but they still wanted to see me in that getup and how I look with John. Dabboo Ratnani did the photoshoot and the way it was being done, I could sense that I was locked.

That’s how I got into my films but honestly, I don’t know why I got into films. I didn’t even know what acting was. I had not even seen too many films. I didn’t even know the impact that Friday makes on your career. These days, I see that the new kids are so prepared. I truly do believe that if you want to get into acting, you really need to know the craft. I am not trying to be vain but at that time, there was this trend of casting good-looking people. That is not there anymore. Now, filmmakers like to cast actors who can act. I am so glad this time is here because actors should know how to act well. Let the good-looking people do advertising and modelling; let’s keep everything separate!

I, in fact, contemplated going back to modelling. I was like, ‘Why did I do it? I am not even enjoying it’! But once you become an actor, if you go back to modelling, it’s seen as a step back and due to my ego, I couldn’t do so. Also, I was making too much money as a model. I used to charge lakhs for a one-day shoot at that time. The money I was offered for Paap was the same that I would have earned for 3-4 days of shoot as a model. I was like, ‘Really? This is how less actors are paid?’! I was shocked. Nevertheless, it was a lot more than a lot of newcomers that were paid then. And for me at that time, the payment used to be on a per-day basis, not a project basis. Hence, I would get thoughts, ‘This (the fees) are not worth the time’!

How was it working with Pooja Bhatt? Was she a taskmaster? Definitely. Everyone is aware of it. But I learnt a lot as well from her and the film. But I don’t think I needed that kind of learning. At the end of it, I felt that I was happier doing modelling than getting into films. Also, there was a lot of discipline in modelling. We were working with top designers and everyone used to be sharp on time. No one would be late even by one minute. But in films, from actors to make-up artists and crew members, most of them used to reach at their own time. I used to be the first one to report on the sets. So, this whole concept was new to me.

Was there a comfort factor while working with John Abraham since he was also a model? For sure. Hats off to John. He’s one of the rare actors who still maintains how he used to be. I don’t see him in filmy parties. He has not changed much as a person just to fit in, which is commendable. I don’t think many people can pull that off. Also, acting was his passion. And acting was never my passion.

Paap was a rare film to be shot in Lahaul and Spiti… Oh my god, it was damn tough. Everybody now views it as a holiday destination. When we went, it was the toughest place ever for a film shoot. The hotel people were surprised to see us and they remarked that before us, only the National Geographic and Discovery Channel team had visited the area for shoots. We were the first film unit to ever go and shoot there. It was very tough terrain. The stuntmen would go breathless and a chopper would be called to take them back to Manali for treatment.

There was just one public phone booth where we used to all queue up to call our family. All of us, including John and I, were given the time for the phone call. We were given preference first. There was only one hospital, a dilapidated one, where I was taken when I fell sick. The pot in the bathroom was broken. It was quite an experience.

Now, I have heard the place has become far more commercialized. Nevertheless, kudos to Pooja Bhatt. She knows how to discover and recce such places. I don’t think anybody else would have thought of going there. The visuals look so different and foreign-like, even though we were shooting in India.

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