RAMBHA - HER SEX APPEAL CONTINUES TO ENTHRALL FANS

She oozes oodles of oomph. Says she can hide nothing. That's Rambha for you. The girl, with a cherubic smile and a sex appeal which leaves her male fans panting for breath, is one who loves every moment of the attention she gets. And she's brutally honest when she says she thoroughly enjoys being called a 'sex bomb'. But I wonder if I am meeting the same seductive Rambha who is known for her steamy dances and pelvic gyrations in films.

Rambha speaks just like a child, at times, even behaves like one. Like, during the shooting of a sequence for her latest film 'Kodandaramudu', while everyone concentrated on the shot, she looked on, amused at a hen - as if she had never seen one before. Crossing her legs and trying to make herself comfortable in a chair which just seemed insufficient to hold her, Rambha flashes her famous smile indicating she's ready to answer questions.

"Yes, you can ask me whatever you want to. I don't hide anything," Rambha dares me as she offers to bare her heart. True. Rambha tries little to hide anything in her films. So I get at her straight: Why do you expose? Rambha, who has so far acted in nearly 60 films in the last seven years, has a frank answer. "If I refuse to expose, I may not get offers," the answer is to the point. As I strain my ear to listen to her hold forth more on the subject, Rambha too wants to explain more. But a unitwallah comes scurrying to tell she's wanted for a reshoot of a sequence she had just done. "If people come to the theatres to watch me, that's how I always wanted it to be," Rambha says hastily with a naughty smile playing on her lips.

The shot over, she's back in a few minutes but mercifully, there are no interruptions again as it is lunch break. The only interruption is when her mother, who chaperones her everywhere pulls up a chair and sits beside her.

Does this mean I have to censor my questions? If that is the indication, I refuse to take it. The question mark on my face puzzles Rambha. She indicates she's waiting for my next question. Preferring to be unmindful of her mother's presence, I ask her what I have in mind. How does she like being called a sex bomb? Rambha's cheeks turn red and she blushes.

She gropes for words as she fiddles with her golden brown hair. Her mother pretends not to have heard my question and turns her head looking nowhere in particular. "Yes, I like to be called a sex bomb," Rambha confesses, the last couple of words almost whispered. But she would rather be known as a 'cute girl', she declares loudly.

As much as posing the question was an ordeal to me, it was an ordeal even to Rambha to give an answer, understandably because of her mother's presence. And yes, it was an ordeal even for her mother to be present when such a question was asked. I decide not to embarrass the mother -daughter anymore and move on to ask her other questions.

The mother feels comfortable again when even she too is 'dragged' into the interview. "She hates to get out of bed in the morning. I have to be after her to wake her up," she tells me about Rambha. And no, it is not a complaint. After all, her daughter has been working since she was only a kid. When Rambha was studying in Class VIII in a school in Vijayawada, she had participated in a cultural programme. A few days later, Malayalam film director Hari Haran approached her and wished to cast her in a movie he was making. Her parents were stoutly against the idea but Hari Haran told them Rambha would be cast in the lead role. "It was unbelievable. I asked him if that meant I would be a heroine. To make sure if I understood him right, I wanted to know if I would have to run around trees and dance," Rambha recollects, feeling a bit foolish about it now. Hari Haran told her that is exactly what heroines did but in his film, she wasn't exactly expected to do that.

Her very first film, in which she plays a naughty girl teasing Vineet, became a big hit. The film Sargam ran for nearly a year, fetching her an award. In Telugu, Rambha was introduced by director EVV Satyanarayana who made Aa Okkati Adakku. In fact, he was the one who gave Rambha her name. Until then she was known by her original name Vijayalaxmi. More films happened, and Rambha made a name for herself not only in Tamil and Telugu films but also in Bollywood. And she is mighty pleased with herself.

Where then does the seductive Rambha place herself in the numbers game? To my shock, she forgets that there is something called modesty. "I'm at the 'number 1' slot," she says matter-of-factly. Not just in Telugu films but also in Hindi films. Then, what about the Kajols, Madhuris, Karismas, Juhis, and Urmilas of the industry?

Isn't Rambha even conscious of their presence in Bollywood? As a debate rages within my mind, Rambha meanwhile comes up with a reason as to why she feels she is 'number 1'. "People recognise me even in Switzerland," she tells me as if that is the criteria. Someone sitting at a distance tries hard not to laugh. But Rambha laughs. "See, it is not just that I want to be known as a glamorous actress. I love to do comedy roles too. Everyone should love me, be it for my sexy looks, cute face, or acting talent," she tells me.

Rambha's happiest moment was when she was signed to act opposite Chiranjeevi. She had always admired the hero when she was a child, and here she was, acting with him! It was also an opportunity she did not want to miss. Rambha had actually sprained her leg and found it difficult even to walk, but went for the shooting of the film. "I had to dance with Chiranjeevi and my leg pained awfully. I tried to hide my swollen leg but when it was discovered, they felt sorry for it. To my joy, they decided to proceed with the shooting only after I had recuperated," she recalls. As a kid, she even used to paste her photographs beside that of Chiranjeevi's. It was only after the shooting of Hitler with the megastar, that she mustered the courage to show the album to him.

"I may sound undiplomatic to other heroes when I declare that Chiranjeevi is my favourite hero, but that is a fact," she minces no words. The twinkle in her eyes says it with much more impact. .

If Rambha is someone men may want to fantasise about, who is her dream man that she fantasies about? "When I like, say some hero's eyes, I think even the man I will marry has to have such eyes." Rambha makes a confession. "But then, I'd rather wait for the man who can generate interest in me than expect him to fit the description I have in mind," she decides.

All things said, but one question remains. Isn't she a little too overweight? There is hesitation in my voice as I ask the question. No, Rambha does not take umbrage. "That's how I have been accepted and so I need not bother," she insists. Of course, she does go on her morning walk but that's it. "For the last seven years, I have been promising my mother to do something about reducing my weight but I only reiterate my promise everyday," she laughs.

Susheel Rao, India Syndicate

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