Another South Indian screen-queen Trisha Krishnan is all set to invade Bollywood. And this Tamilian follows the trend of making her debut with a leading man far older than her. After the 43-year old Akshay Kumar,
27-year old Trisha's co-star is going to be the 24-year old Pratik Babbar.

Says Trisha, "The second Hindi film is a love story with just me and the guy in central roles. It's a subject that can't go wrong. I've already done the Tamil version of this film Vinaaithandi Varuvaya. Now the same director Gautham Menon is remaking it into Hindi with Pratik Babbar and me. I think we should be kick-starting it in August. I am excited because unlike Khatta Meetha where I don't have a central part this one has a central role for me".

Trisha sounds wiser than her years when she says, "It was important for me to line up a second Hindi film before the first was released".

More blunt talk from this unusual beauty? Coming up! Trisha actually confesses that she had her lines in Hindi dubbed in her first film. When you tell her that Akshay Kumar said she spoke Hindi well Trisha laughs it off. "Did he say that? I must thank him. The truth is, I was a bit nervous about doing my own lines in Hindi. I've done so many Telugu films. But I don't know the language at all. I know the grammar in Hindi but I can barely manage to speak it".

(`To aapki Hindi achchi hai?' I ask. `Han Achchi hoon (sic.)', she replies).

Trisha continues, "In Chennai no one speaks in Hindi. I was a little worried about my Hindi since my character in Khatta Meetha is from a fluent Hindi-speaking belt. So both Priyan and I decided that I wouldn't dub my own lines. But it's not a problem. I know I'll soon master it. It's simpler than the South Indian languages".

Trisha is a 27-year veteran of Tamil and Telugu films. "I was so busy doing Tamil and Telugu films that I didn't get time to consider Hindi films although offers did come. Also I wanted to do something that would give me a wide audience. I chose Priyadarshan and Akshay Kumar. It can't get any massier than that. Their combination always works".

Trisha is candid enough to admit she doesn't have that much to do in Khatta Meetha. "It isn't a heroine-centric role. But I felt it would give me visibility. Look, I may be known in the South. But in Bollywood no one knows me, not yet. I just wanted to be seen. When I started in the South I did smaller parts with big heroes. That always worked for me. One needs to be a part of hit films especially at the start."

Priyadarshan is Trisha's Christopher Columbus. "He launched me in the South seven years ago. Now he's launching me in Hindi in Khatta Meetha. He had promised he'd launch me in the right vehicle. In five minutes I knew I wanted to do Khatta Meetha. First, I want to make sure I establish myself in Hindi before I do more experimental roles. This is the trend I followed in the South as well."

On working with Akshay she says, "In the Khatta Meetha unit Akshay was the only person I didn't know. And he wasn't just my co-star he was also my producer. He was really sweet. Priyan and Akshay are by now like family to one another. They made sure I was comfortable. This was one of the most professional units I've worked with."

She's pretty cool about the age difference. After all she's currently a Tamil film in Europe where her co-star is the 55-plus Kamal Haasan.

Speaking excitedly from Europe Trishna says "I've been away from home for almost forty days. Though I've my mom with me I do miss home. But the shooting with Kamal Sir and Maddy is great fun."

Trisha is ready to settle down in Mumbai. "It would depend on the offers. I've always had relatives in Mumbai. I've also done a lot of ads in Mumbai. Though my family won't move out of Chennai, I am hardly in one city anyway."

-- Sampurn Wire