Priyanka Kothari lived with eight lizards during ‘Agyaat’ shoot

NEW DELHI - Actress Priyanka Kothari is petrified of lizards, but she had to share her room with the reptiles for a month while shooting in the Sri Lankan jungles for her forthcoming film “Agyaat”. “I had to live with eight creepy lizards who used to roam around in my room. I can say that I’m braver now. Earlier, I used to be petrified if I used to see even one lizard in my room… but I had so many in close proximity in the same room in the jungle,” Priyanka told IANS over phone from Mumbai.

Directed by Ram Gopal Varma, “Agyaat” was extensively shot in the Sigiriya jungles in Sri Lanka. Priyanka has teamed up with Telugu star Nitin in the thriller that revolves around a film unit that goes for a jungle-shoot. Soon the crew members get killed one by one, leaving the rest running for their lives.

Priyanka, who suffered several injuries while shooting the film, reveals that the cast and crew faced many problems during their stay in the dense forest.

“A lot of things happened with me during the shooting - like my ankle injury, elbow injury, then so many scratches, insect bites, et al. It’s a part and parcel of a film like this,” said the 25-year-old who plays an actress in the film.

“Apart from the injuries, there were other problems as well. The hotel we were staying in was surrounded by wild animals. You wouldn’t even come to know when a snake might enter your room. Then the biggest threat was from wild elephants. A lot of times we had to change our route to avoid them,” she said.

But the actress has no regrets signing on the film, which is set to release Aug 7.

“On the whole, I have no complaints. It’s all worth it because I got to work in a wonderful film. I will get a romantic (film) or a comedy to work in future, but adventurous films like ‘Agyaat’ are not made every day,” she said.

Priyanka, who kick-started her Bollywood career with Varma’s “Sarkar”, went on to act in other films with the director like “James”, “Go” and “Ram Gopal Varma Ki Aag”.

“It’s always an honour to work with Ram Gopal Varma. He is a mastermind. I love working with him and I really respect him. He gives liberty and freedom to his actors which is the best part,” said the actress, known for doing glamorous and sensual roles.

Asked if she was comfortable with skin show, the actress said she wouldn’t hesitate from doing something if the role demanded.

“Actors are like props on the sets. You do what your director says. And I’m the kind of actor who listens to her director. If the role demands and if the director asks, then I don’t have problems in doing sensual scenes. That’s my profession and there is nothing wrong with glamour. I trust my director - that’s the reason why I accept a film,” Priyanka said.