Tell us about your character in Zero.
Babita Kumari is an actress, who is going through a dark and depressing phase, but she is not a terrible human being. Her relationship is over, her career is not doing well and she has no focus in life. She feels dejected and is vulnerable. What Aanand [L Rai, director] sir is trying to say is that as human beings, at the core level, most people feel incomplete. That's why he sets up Babita as an obnoxious and insecure person.

How tough was it to portray a character that is so far removed from the real you?
Playing her took a toll on me. I would always look for respite from the character. Every time there was a break in the schedule [by picking up something light and frothy], getting back to the character was tough. It was in a dark space. Aanand sir had given me clarity on my role, without which, I would have been misguided and lost easily. He would sit with me for days and weeks before the shoot and try to understand me as a person. Babita is exactly the opposite of everything I am as a person. If Katrina Kaif will avoid someone at a party, Babita Kumari would go right up to the person and say something obnoxious. She wouldn't ask for the audience's sympathy.