I want to work with younger actors of my generation: Asin

Asin made an impressive acting debut with Ghajini. But somewhere down the line she got caught up in being the lucky mascot of the so-called 100-crore club. She speaks to TOI about her recent backpacking trip with her girlfriends, where she got time to introspect and decided that, going forward, she will take up work where she gets to act and work with new age directors and actors her age. Excerpts:

Are you satisfied with the kind of roles you are doing as an actor today?
Currently no. I feel there is a lot more to me that has so far not been seen in Bollywood and I find it funny when they say that you are the lucky mascot and part of the 100-crore club, though that does not define me. I got time to sit and think and relax when recently I took this backpacking trip with my school friends to the US. Over all these years of working, I had not taken a proper holiday. Looking back at last year, I realised that I have been running non-stop for just being in the same place. It did not give me the satisfaction I wanted, even though I have no regrets in having done the so-called 100 crore films. Now that I have the numbers, I want to take up roles where I get to act.

Would you agree that you have come down as an actress after Ghajini?
Yes. After Ghajini, I wanted to take up roles which were meatier and better than my debut film, but I was not happy with what I was offered at that time. For a while, even though I got flooded with offers, I chose not to be a part of them. But I was new to Bollywood and was advised to take up the big films with the Khans and the Kumars which I did, thinking probably this is the way this industry works. As a newcomer I was getting the opportunity to work with the big actors, even though usually as a newcomer one needs to work one's way up, to achieve that. While I have no regrets, I admire actors like Aamir and Ranbir who have managed to balance their box office success with critical success.
Looking ahead, I need to be satisfied as an actress. I don't want to compete, I want to be complete. Just like a normal young girl, I want to travel, have a life, do roles that matter and act with actors of my generation. I want to do things that will make me happy.

There is a perception that you will not work with smaller stars. Is that true?
There is a perception that I had taken the decision to work with big stars which is not true. After Ghajini, big films came my way and I took them, but it is not that I am only wanting to work with them. I would love to work with younger actors who are closer to my generation. I am too young to say no.