MUMBAI:

Not even a film old and Jiah Khan is showing all the spunk and spirit that one would associate with a modern-day Lolita that she’s playing in Ram Gopal Varma’s Nishabd, which is set to release on March 2.

Apparently, Sanjay Gadhvi of the Dhoom series offered her a role in the film that he’s doing for Ashtvinayak. When Jiah inquired about more details, she was treated to a don’t-you-know-I-did-Dhoom’ spiel that sent the well brought-up girl into a reverse spin.

Jiah smiles diplomatically at the rumours. “I was never actually in Gadhvi’s film. Yes, it was offered to me. But at this point of time it isn’t right for me,” Jiah said.

To make one’s debut opposite Amitabh Bachchan that too at the age of 19 requires infinite self-confidence. Jiah said, “My friends always knew I was going to do something special. But a film with Amitabh... I never dreamt of it. If I look confident on screen, the credit goes to Amitabh and Varma.”

What did it feel like sharing intimate moments with such a stalwart?

“There were no inhibitions. It was because of the training at Lee Strasberg’s acting school. The first thing I learnt there was to lose my inhibitions.”

Jiah says relationships between very young girls and older men are commonplace. “It happens in villages where we’ve child marriages. In high society, older men often go out with young women. So what’s the big deal? It’s because the older man is played by Amitabh the relationship seems so forbidden. If I got into a relationship like the one in Nishabd, I’d behave exactly like my character.”