‘I am so excited to be nominated. It’s a definite high for any artiste. This is the first time someone had entrusted me with playing a totally Indian and a historical role too. I have to thank my director, Ahbar Khan for his confidence in me. So far, I had been cast in only westernised roles, so this in itself was a creative challenge for me. I had done plenty of research – read books, surfed the net, seen similar period films. Akbar was very informative as well. I just wanted to live the role of Noor Jehan. The dialogues were different as the dialect was urdu and the costumes elaborate but given this nomination I think I carried it off. My best scenes are the execution scene and the conflict scene with my brother Asif. I am glad that my efforts have been recognised by the jury.’