After giving nearly a dozen flops, the computer engineer-turned-model-turned actress Payal Rohatgi is trying hard for an image makeover and looking forward to lead roles. Recently, Payal was noticed in Priyadarshan’s comedy Dhol in which she played character of a club singer opposite Arbaaz Khan. “I have got a good response for my role in Dhol. Although the leading lady of the film is Tanushree Dutta, my work in the film is also being appreciated. I am thankful to Priyadarshan that he chose me for the role,” avers a svelte looking Payal in a confab while on a visit to Dehra Dun in connection with the promotion of a jewellry brand.

When asked whether she would like to work with Priyadarshan again, she says: “I would love to work with him again and again. He is a great director. He is a man of words. The role in Dhol turned out exactly the same what he had narrated to me.”

She had earlier also worked in Subhash Ghai’s 36 China Town and Madhur Bhandarkar’s Corporate. What was her experience in these movies? “Oh that was great. Actually, the O Sikandar track from Corporate has given me so much popularity and money. I am getting a lots of shows because of this item song,” she exclaims.
What are the future prospects now? “Talks are on with some of the reputed directors of the film industry. I am reading scripts. I hope something will materialise soon,” she says.

But she adds quickly that she is not in hurry to sign films. “No jaldbazi this time. I have made mistakes in the past by signing films without going deep into about the banners and scripts and now I don’t want to repeat that all over again,” she confides.

The lass from Ahmedabad, a participant of Femina Miss India contest in the year of 2000 which saw Lara Dutta and Priyanka Chopra winning the titles, now does not want to remember the names of the sleazy movies like Tauba Tauba and Fun: Can be dangerous which made her a sex siren of B-grade movies.“I took wrong decisions during the initial years of my career, but I had to face consequences as nobody forced me to accept those roles. I made the mistakes so I had to struggle to come out of it,” she accepts candidly.

Now she is working hard to get an image makeover. “I am going through an image transformation and slowly moving ahead in that direction.”

Will she be able to achieve her goal? “Why not, when Mumtaz can become a heroine after doing several negative roles in her initial days, why can’t I,” she proclaims.

Payal these days is taking Kathak dance classes from Deepak Sen of Jaipur Gharana with a hope to become a complete actress. “ I am learning Kathak from Guruji (Deepak Sen), as this is the basic dance for all the other dances like Samba, Cha-Cha and Salsa,” she says adding Sen has also been a teacher of Madhuri Dixit, whom she admires the most.

At a time when several star sons and daughters are making entry into Bollywood that leaves very little scope for non-filmi background people to get roles, Payal is simply looking unperturbed. “Everybody has his fate. Hard work is the only key to success and nothing else works here,” she says.

Payal is concentrating on her professional life and that is why she has nobody in her personal life. “ I am very much single as I have no time for all these things now,” she says.

How would she like to define herself? “ I see myself as a glamourous girl aspiring to become a good actress,” says Payal.