For a newcomer whose much hyped debut film [James] as a lead heroine had delivered a turkey at the box office and the second film [The Killer] had law of average catching up with its producers [Vishesh Films], it is but obvious to be excited as well as nervous. Hence it doesn't come as a surprise when pretty little Nisha Kothari says that she is pining a lot of hope on her next release 'Shiva'. Joginder Tuteja catches up with her on the eve of the film's release and gets to know more about how she feels about the film and what is she looking forward to in future. Over to Nisha!

"You are asking me whether there are any butterflies in my stomach. Well, there are so many butterflies that I have stopped counting," she jokes! "I am so very nervous, not just because this is my third major release but because of the fact that I have always been like that. Guess this will always be my state throughout, whenever a film of mine releases", she sighs.

But after a masala film like 'James' and a boyz-only flick like 'The Killer', what is she exactly hoping from 'Shiva' which seems to be a patented Ram Gopal Verma product? "Sheer intensity", she is quick to respond, "The film is nice and I won't deny that it is again male dominated since it is about a man who wants to live life as per his own terms. My character is nice too since it compliments Mohit's. I play a journalist who again has a mind of her own and knows how to keep her head and spirit high amongst diversities!"

One hears that there were some murmurs about the content of the film and the law makers weren't exactly happy about the portrayal of police department. "But that was in past when they were unaware about the film's content", she defends, "We had 2-3 trials of the film and after the police officers saw the final product, they were convinced that this is a pro-police film. Yes, there were some objections to the 'Chor Police' song but now we have dubbed it to simply become 'Police Police'!

How is 'Shiva' special to Nisha after two back to back underperformers? "A lot", she says, "Since this is my first performance based film. Yes, I have been playing glam girl role all this while but this time you would find me actually performing as an actor since that's the demand of the role. I am present in the film from start till end and have number of important scenes with Mohit that demanded histrionics. This way I feel I have certainly graduated. Also this is one film where critics can't avoid me. They may write positive or negative about me, but they will notice me for sure!"

On being prodded further about her role she said, "I play the role of a girl called Sandhya who is a crime reporter and is quite sincere and hard working. What is special about her interaction with Shiva is that there are no expectations between the two when it comes to their relationship. She is quite mature and doesn't care about anything else when she is working. She loves Shiva but then she does only those things which are right!"

Her look is truly different from what she has donned in the past. Who has been responsible for it? "Both Ramuji and myself", she is quick to comment, "Whether it is look or costumes, both Ramu and I felt that it has to be something different this time around. I sported a different body language, straightened my hair, added on some more nuances and walked into Ramu's office asking him if this is how he wanted his Sandhya to look? He added on the glasses and there we had the look of Sandhya finalized!"

But for all the seriousness about her role, she does have something for her glam-loving fans by means of songs and dances! What does she have to say about that? "I love songs in real life. It's good to feel happy and when I am happy I sing and dance myself. Also, if you would see the 3 songs, they are integral to the film. One is 'Police Police' which is a fun song and is pro-police. The other two are love songs are 'Dheemi Dheemi, when I fall in love with Shiva and 'Saara Aalam' which is a love making song after the two get married", she explains.