Amrita Arora is many things to many people. Malaika's sister, MTV VJ, gorgeous child-woman. Now she's in your face in her new avatar as Bollywood babe!

"I've been the entertainer of my family..."

Right from childhood, I've been the entertainer in my family. I used to mimic people. If we went to a party, I would notice some characteristic in a person and would imitate his/her actions. It was fun and everybody used to laugh. But my entry into films wasn't planned. Everyone around me used to say I should join films. When Malaika started modelling, people would say one daughter is a model, the other should be an actress. Then the VJ hunt happened, and I became a VJ for MTV.

But recently, I started feeling like I was stagnating. I wasn't doing anything new, it had become routine. I felt I couldn't offer MTV anything more. It became a 9-to-5 job, no personal growth. So, films were the next best thing. Offers were always pouring in, it was just a matter of time. And just when I thought I was ready, Mehul Kumar offered me Kitne Door, Kitne Paas. And now, suddenly, I'm into films in such a major way, with three films already on the floor.

"We got character-parents on hire to get us out of attendance and discipline mess..."

It's not that long ago that I was a teenager, just a couple of years. I've always been this open, carefree, chilled out, friendly girl. I've taken each day as it comes. I had a blast, bunking college, going for afternoon socials, hanging out on campus, doing a-b-s-o-l-u-t-e-l-y nothing. I was on the blacklist, hiding it from my mom, faking parents' signatures, getting character-parents on hire to get me out of attendance and discipline mess. But for me it was really difficult to get a hire-for-Rs 250 parent from outside college because by that time, Malaika was already a household name, and everybody knew about us sisters. So to get a mom-on-hire who wouldn't be caught was a big problem. But I kept trying, man. (Laughs) We had brilliant, clean fun, and then crammed during exams.

"I've warned MTV not to dare say one word about me..."

I did a film-based show, but we never criticized anybody's work or anything. None of the information was ever cooked up, it was always from some magazine or from the Net. And please! Once you're in films, your life is an open book. Tomorrow, if Maria or Mini take potshots at me, I'll have to take it in my stride. Of course, I'd whack the shit out them later. I've warned MTV not to dare say one word about me. (Laughs)

"Teenagers today are so focused and all there..."

The teenagers of today are a totally fab bunch. I'm amazed at how they are so up to it, all focused and all there, know what I mean? And they have fun, good clean fun, and they're funny and witty. I think teens and youngsters don't like stuff like, 'Oh! She's so nice, and he's so nice. Fantastic!' It's so boring for them. I can relate to that. I feel, why not have some fun? Like how in college we used to take firki of some nut who thought he was god's own gift, or some silly Ms High Heels.

"I'm a Meena Kumari in the making..."

I used to be very melodramatic. A Meena Kumari in the making. The strangest thing is, as a kid, whenever my mom would yell at me or whack me, I used to cry and then run into my room. Mom found this very strange. One day she came to know that I would go watch myself cry. Instead of feeling pain, or guilt about being yelled at, I would stand in front of the mirror and watch myself cry, watch my tears, and spout all these dialogues... Am I wacko or what? When I joined films, my mom said, 'Thank God! Now she can fulfill her dream of crying away to glory, and get paid for it!'

"Fardeen is a nice guy, a gentleman, but we're just close friends..."

Fardeen is a nice guy, a gentleman, but we're just close friends. He's so cool, and puhleez, I don't subscribe to the old school in films where people think the heroine should finish her shot and go to her make-up room. I talk to people, I'm friends with my co-star. But that doesn't mean anything. Nothing is on between us. See, I broke up with Kamaal Khan, and I felt low. We're still friends, but we just sort of drifted apart. Since Fardeen and I are doing my debut film together, people are talking about us. It's good for the movie you know. So much free publicity. Kitne Door, Kitne Paas... (Laughs uproariously!)

"I feel that I was born to do this..."

I've taken to films, to acting, like a fish to water. I feel that I was born to do this, I'm so comfortable. Right from day one I've been on a roll, having a ball. I've fit in. Luckily, the people I'm working with have made me feel comfortable. There's also a fresh influx of youngsters into the industry. The new lot is bolder in their approach, and much more confident. That has really helped a lot. Right now, I'm working with Mehul Kumar in Kitne Door, Kitne Paas co-starring Fardeen Khan. Then I'm doing Vikram Bhatt's Awara, Paagal, Deewana with Aftab Shivdasani and Sunil Shetty. It's mad, hysterical, funny. This is Hera Pheri ka baap! Plus, I have a film with Govinda and two really big films that I'm not allowed to talk about, because they want to launch them in a big way. One is with Satish Kaushik as director. And yeah, one with Salman Khan, too!

"Sometimes I'm over-the-top, unreliable, I've got that streak..."

As soon as I joined MTV, I was like, 'Oh my God! What's happening?' I used to be completely chilled out and then suddenly I was a VJ... I started getting more professional, more ambitious to a certain extent-to excel at what I was doing, to prove a point. Overnight I grew up with MTV, because it's so bloody tough! They just throw you into this whirlpool, and from there on either you survive or blow out. I started travelling, meeting these interesting, high-flying, intelligent people who had made a success of their lives. It changed me completely, brought a lot of maturity. I didn't lose the fun-loving spirit, but I became more professional, more controlled. Because whatever you do, people are going to judge you if you are a celeb. 'Oh! Amrita came into this room, and she sat like this, and she did this, and wore that, and looked here, and talked to that one, and didn't respond to my 'hi'!' So one has to be on guard, 24/7.

Recently, I met up with two of my college friends who've just finished graduation, and they were all giggly, squealing away, 'Oh! What do weeeeeee dooooooooo! Should we do this course, or that one!' And I'm like, thank god I've lost that part of innocence. I'm no longer Miss Airhead. Now I look at my friends, and I'm this big girl, you know. We still go out even now and act wicked. And sometimes I'm over-the-top, unreliable, I've got that streak, and my mom always cribs about that. But for me, individually, I feel there has been some growth and maturity, and I look upon myself as Miss Level Head. That's my personal opinion, and I don't mind if people disagree. (Laughs)

"Since you're here, you gotta kick ass..."

My mind tells me that since you're here, you gotta kick ass. Whether it takes one year or two or ten, you're here till you prove what you've come here to do. I'm not the sort to say, 'OK! I've come here, now I'll just be a part of it, with whatever. I want to be the best. People aren't going to remember me as, 'Oh! haan, she did these couple of films, now she's gone!' I'm here to kick butt! Number 1 and nothing else. I don't know how long it will take, but I'm here and we shall see!

"Malaika has poster pin-up looks..."

Malaika became an outright celebrity right from the word go. She has a totally different personality from mine. There have been insinuations and endless debate in the media about sibling rivalry, but it has never happened between us. See, we're both very different. Malaika has her own image as the sultry sex symbol. She's got poster pin-up looks. I'm like the girl nextdoor. She has a definite image as a model and VJ and I have my own. She was never cut out for films, whereas I've always had the inclination. Even our personalities are different; she's reserved, she weighs each thing before she speaks. I'm totally chatty and batty. This has helped us shape our careers in different ways, and as long as the money is coming into the same household, we're only too happy. (Laughs) There's a lot of love between us. She guides me on what to wear, what to do-she's been around so long! I look up to her for every small thing-she and mom are my source of inspiration, security and sense of belonging.