She made her Bollywood debut in Om Jai Jagdish , thereafter had a West End run with Romeo and Juliet and now might be seen in the theatrical adaptation of Midnight’s Children . At 24, Tara Sharma certainly seems to be living up to her name, says Farhad J Dadyburjor

Now: Um, now... as of right now, during the course of this interview, I’m on holiday in Mumbai. And whilst I’m relaxing, I’m also considering lots of different roles that I could take up — so, it’s an exciting time.

Acting: Everyone does, and it’s basically just being natural. The definition of acting, or the way I see it, is that it shouldn’t appear like you are doing anything different.

Bollywood: I’ve probably had the most changing emotions to this word. I must admit, in school, I never thought I’d be in it — and now, it’s very much me. It’s fun, it’s flamboyant, and it’s what ‘Bombay Dreams’ is all about!

Om Jai Jagdish : Great fun. New experience. Something I’d never done before. My first ever Bollywood experience.

Fame: I’m not totally famous as yet, so when I get there, I’ll let you know!

Hollywood: A very distant dream, which to my surprise is closer than one thinks.

Theatre: Playing Juliet, of course. You know, the beauty of playing Juliet is that we’ve all had those feelings before — that whole excitement of first love and all that nervousness — I felt I could channel my own nervous energy into the character. It was an amazing experience. I’ve learnt a lot from it and would love to do more of it.

West End: I think of my grandfather. My grandfather loved the theatre, and whilst I was studying at the university in London, I’d always be my grandfather’s date since my grandmother wasn’t well. So every week, or every other week, it was my big treat to be taken to the theatre by my granddad.

Money: Whatever anyone says, it is very important but it is not the most important thing. It definitely makes life easier.

Life: Life is a gift. You’re only given one, and it seems quite long, but it’s funny how quickly it can flash by.

Men: Very irritating creatures!

Boyfriends: I’m really the last person to give any real advice on that front. I’m a singleton and clueless.

Andre (the supposed boyfriend): Oh, god! He’s a very close friend, like a brother! Akshaye Khanna (the perennial link-up): Akshaye was definitely my first crush, when we were in school. But that was babyhood, now we’re just good friends.

Relationships: Very important, because man is essentially a social creature. I really value all the relationships I have — whether friends or family. I need it and like to feel needed.

Marriage: Sacred. Someday, I’d definitely like to be married but right now I’m single. And no, no, that’s not an advert for any matrimonials, please!

Love: Indefinable, because every time I’ve liked someone, I’ve thought I’m in love with him. And well...

Lust: Tom Cruise. But at the same time, it’s not like I want to just jump on him or anything... so I’m not quite sure how I think of lust!

Sex appeal: A good aftershave.

Fears: Of being in the middle. I’m very grateful that I’m from two worlds, in a way, that I’ve got two sets of opportunities, in London and here. And I’m someone who likes to explore everything. But I don’t want to find myself stuck in the middle.

Creepy producers: Well, the producer of ’Romeo and Juliet’ — and I hope he doesn’t read this — was very stingy, and so we’d call him ‘makhee choos’. But that was only how close it came to being creepy.

Highs: Definitely, performing. The feeling of interacting with people and getting a message across. And making people happy is a huge high.

Lows: A lot of free time. I love a holiday only if I feel I deserve it.

Icons: In terms of acting, there are lots of actors and actresses I really admire and respect, but there’s no one whose footsteps I’d like to be in because I don’t think it’s possible.

Ego: Freud. Ego, Id and the rest of it.

Irritants: Anyone who’s in the public eye even vaguely has to be on her best behaviour 24-hours. And believe me that can be quite exhausting.

Competition: With myself, a lot and all the time. And I’m not just saying this — since school, I’ve always been very competitive with myself.

Dreams: As cliched as it may sound, they do come true. Like, I’d love to be in a big Hollywood blockbuster... so let’s watch and see!

Next: I don’t know. Either I’ll be doing
a part in ‘Midnight’s Children’ or I’ll be opposite Zayed Khan in his next movie. I’ve still to decide exactly.

Tara: Global. I’m kind of all over the place.