Girl,

Uninterrupted
Text By PAYAL PURI
Photographs by SURESH NATARAJAN
A reluctant model-turned-reluctant actor,
ILEANA DCRUZ has come a long way
from worrying about putting herself out there,
to nally not worrying and having fun
Star power
THIS PAGE: Dress, Tom Ford. Jacket, Giorgio
Armani. Necklace and ring, Minawala. OPPOSITE
PAGE: Dress, McQ. Shoes, Tom Ford. Bangles
(on left hand): left to right, Alpana Gujral, Anmol
Jewellers, and Gehna. (on right hand): left to
right: Gehna and Mahesh Notandass.
Creative director: Nupur Mehta Puri
Fashion director: Priyanka Misra
Dramati c
monologue
THIS PAGE: Top, skirt, inner, and
gloves, Givenchy by Riccardo Tisci.
Haathphools, Anmol Jewellers.
OPPOSITE PAGE: Jacket and trousers,
Temperley London. Kurta, `27,500,
Anand Kabra. Necklace, Mahesh
Notandas. Necklace(strings), Ceres.
regal
Statement
THIS PAGE: Top and skirt, Dior.
Earrings, Ganjam. Haathphool,
Amrapali. OPPOSITE PAGE: Dress,
Dior. Ring, Minawala. Brooches, Rose.
I nish interviewing Ileana DCruz feeling a bit annoyed. The annoyance is about something I cant
quite pinpoint until I nally start to write, and am confronted with the fact that the person Im writing
about is not the person I assumed Id be writing about.
Assumptions may be the undoing of journalists, but theyre impossible to avoid. And my assumption
had been that Ileana would be one of three distinct typesthe somewhat clueless, the bent-on-playing-
it-safe, or the accomplished fake. Instead, Id been confronted by a type of girl I hadnt quite expected
to encounter: The Real Thing.
We were speaking on the phone, the day after our long, tiring studio shoot in Mumbai, and shed
spent another morning dashing from shoot to interview to ttings to dubbing. There seemed nothing
real about her life, nor about the extravagant looks shed donned for the September issue, from a classic,
oor-length, electric blue Dior gown, to an of-the-moment McQ black appliqu dress.
I ask her about taking to the glamorous life. Actually, I didnt, not easily at least, she laughs. When
I rst started working in ads, I hated it. My rst portfolio was a disaster and even though the next one
was better, I just didnt take to the whole thing. While shooting the Fair & Lovely commercial, I told
my mother this would be my rst and last ad. I dont want to do this.
This seemed almost impossible to understand, given that she was 16, attractive, and being given a
chance, on a platter, to be famous. You have to understand, I was young, she defends. I loved fashion,
and was considering a career in fashion design. Plus, I lived in Goa. Life felt like a permanent vacation.
I didnt need thisthis was almost disruptive. I didnt think Id make it and I didnt see the need to!
It was a meeting with choreographer and former model Marc Robinson that helped calm her
anxieties. A friend of my mothers knew Marc, and arranged for us to meet. We talked at length and
he told me that in his opinion I could make a career in the business. It reassured me a little that someone
like Marc saw potential in me.
Yet, Marcs conviction notwithstanding, shooting a few commercials brought back all her anxieties.
This was not for Ileana. And then she received an offer for a Telugu lm.
That threw me even more. I hadnt even vaguely considered lms, and then there was the language
barrier. I only spoke English and a bit of Hindi, she says. But everyone urged me to give it a shot. I
was told that someone would dub for me. Despite being reluctant, I gave in because I felt if the
opportunity is so literally knocking at my door, I should at least give it a try.
It might be natural to assume that she then fell in love with the whole movie business. Not yet.
Actually, it reinforced everything Id feared. Id just turned 18, I was nave, out of my element, shy,
and painfully self-conscious. I had issues, like absolutely everyone else at that age, about my looks. And
then there was the whole language thing, Ileana recalls. I was intimidated by it all. I would cry my
heart out when I was alone. In fact, I had the exact same reaction Id had when I was doing
commercialsI told my mother that this would be my rst and last lm!
Famous last words. In the six years since the release of Devadasu in 2006, shes gone on to do nearly
20 Telugu lms, and a couple of Tamil ones as well. A signicant number of them have rocked the
box-ofce, catapulting Ileana into the big league of southern actresses. Obviously, the acting bug had
bit. Not at that stage, she laughs. I stuck it out for two reasons. First, my family gave me a serious
talking-to. And then, there was the money. I certainly enjoyed that part.
It wasnt until after she had done six or seven lms that she started to enjoy the process of lm-making.
Until then, it had been the high of doing well that kept me going. Suddenly, I began to realise the other
advantagesthe going to work and being able to do different things, playing a different character every
day, the absolute absence of boredom. I realised that this was pretty fascinating. And then, nally, I was
hooked. I started to take what I did more seriously.
Ifelt if the opportunity is so literally knocking at my door, I should at least give it a try

poi SeD
glamour
Dress, `1,92,000 (approx), Stella
McCartney.Necklace, Gehna Jewellers.
elegant
& Surreal
Dress, Prabal Gurung. Maang tika
and baaju bandh, Amrapali. See
Where To Buy for details. Makeup
and hair: Bianca at Toabh Model
Management; fashion stylists: Mohit
Rai and Aastha Sharma. Fashion
bookings manager: Neha Agarwal.
Ileana obviously took it seriously given that she was noticed by the biggies of Bollywood. Hindi lms, same story.
Although I didnt plan on entering Bollywood, Id be lying if I said I hadnt thought about it. But you know, each time
Id taken an active role, planned something, decided something, it hadnt worked out.
And then lm-maker Anurag Basu called. Within a few hours of our meeting, he offered me the role of Shruti in
Barf, and I told him: Are you serious? she laughs. It sounded too good to be true.
The movie, due to release on September 14, has three main charactersBar, played by Ranbir Kapoor, Jhilmil,
essayed by Priyanka Chopra, and Shruti, which is Ileanas character. And yet, watching promos of the lm on YouTube
(already viral), there seems to be a fourth, distinct character in the lmclothes!
Absolutely. Clothes portray the era, the context, the personalities, and the transformations in my characters life.
Shrutis life has three distinct phases: In the rst, shes a young, college girl, so the whole look is fresh and casual, yet
understated. This is in Kalimpong in the 1970s. We have knee-high boots and skirts, some shorts, but its not high
fashion. Its feminine, real, and fun.
In the second phase, her character gets married into an orthodox family, and takes on a traditional avatar. There are
dhakai cotton saris and a pared down, elegant sensibility, a look Ileana seems to have pulled off beautifully. Its amazing
how clothes help you feel like the character. Id never worn cotton saris before, and frankly, I was intimidated. However,
they were gorgeous and helped me get into character. The elegance, the guarded mannerism, the body language that
exudes responsibility and maturityall this came effortlessly once I wore those saris. They were a true nd for me.
And the third phase? Ill have to kill you if I tell you, she laughs. Cant talk about that yet.
The shyness Ileana spoke of about her growing years has disappeared, and is replaced by an easy condence that is
appealing because it has no traces of arrogance. Its an attitude that reects in her fashion choices off screen as well.
I love fashion, Im a clothes junkie. My growing up phase was all about clothes. I would mash different styles, and
play around with looks. I took a keen interest in the styling of my characters for the Telugu lms as well. My own look
is very clean. I like structured, and well-cut pieces. I love black and while Im not into brands, quality means everything
to me. Ive driven people nuts if something didnt t right, she grins. Im extremely particular about that.
Accessories, though, arent really her thing. The odd cuff, a long chainthe extras are precisely that for Ileana. Shoes,
though, is another matter, she laughs again. Thats my fetish. But comfort rules. I wont wear six-inch stilettos if they
are going to kill me. If youre uncomfortable, it will show on your face no matter how well put together you are.
How does that reconcile with the looks she pulled off so effortlessly for our elaborate shoot? Those clothes were
unbelievable. There were a couple of gowns that Id never have thought Id have the attitude to carry off. They are opulent
and rich, and so different from who I am. And even though Im not big on jewellery, the contrast between the sleek
clothes and the elaborate jewels was fabulous.
Is it like playing another character then, I ask. Oh yes! Theres a concept, and a setting, and you get into character.
Its a different medium, and you get a chance to explore a different facet of yourself. I wore voluptuous red lips and deep,
rich colours, and the whole look is about drama and intensity. Beauty and fashion are remarkable that waythey can
transform you not just externally but also the way they make you feel inside.
Is it similar to what happens to a woman when she walks out of a salon? Absolutely. You walk different, theres a
swing in your step, you feel different. You feel beautiful. n
Beauty and fashion are remarkable that waythey can transform you...