Everything isn't perfect.

I don't think a lot of people in America understand what Indians are. And that's our fault, a little. We tend to forget our roots a bit. As kids we think, If I'm too Indian, I'll be put in a box, and people will think of me as different. They'll think I'm weird, because I eat Indian food or my name is difficult to pronounce.

I have photo shoots or commercials that I do, or things in India. It's usually a seven-day week for me. So physically it does get exhausting.

I used to get upset with the word Bollywood, and what it means in the West. The stereotype of us being dancing, singing, puppet showgirls. Indians are nearly one fifth of the world's population; we have one of the most prolific film industries in the world. When people used to ask me about it, or replicate what they think is Bollywood dancing, thinking that they're being funny, I used to get offended. But now I show them the stuff we do.

The world, the way we look at women and sexuality, is what needs to change - not our behavior, not who we are, not what we say. It's the intentions that should change. It's the mind-set. Otherwise, we're just going to be a completely confused society with not knowing what to say to one another. The mind-set of when you meet a woman is that you should try and get to know her.

I wasn't even prepared to be an actress. I was 17 when I came out of high school, and suddenly became Miss World and then I became an actress.

My father is conservative but has always supported my decisions. He lets me take my own decisions. His only condition while allowing me to come to Mumbai was that my mother must accompany me.