When I was eight, I took part in a local Indian dance cultural show. I won and kept winning the title three years in a row. I knew I was good at it. That's when I thought of becoming an actress like Madhuri Dixit, who was a good dancer as well as an actress. I've watched many of her films as a child.

What did you do when you came to Mumbai?

I had learned Kathak in the US and in Bangalore. When I came to Mumbai, I learnt it again from Vijayshree Choudhary -- a disciple of Pandit Birju Maharaj. As I didn't know Hindi, the first thing I did was join Hindi classes. Leena Mehta, who trained the actors in Jaane Tu... Ya Jaane Na, helped me with my diction.

I also enrolled in Kishore Namit Kapoor's acting classes and took private tuitions from theatre personality Satyadev Dubey for six months. I also observed Makhrand Deshpande during rehearsals. I have done Neeraj Kabir's Hamlet.