The success of Gul Panag’s new advert for Sky Tata with Aamir Khan has brought her a slew of new admirers and she returns the favour by talking of her own admiration for Aamir: “You only realise why he is such a great actor and why he has reached where he is today after you’ve worked with him,” she says, “He is really focused on his work and is an exceptional actor.”

The former Miss India is best known for her roles in Dor, Manorama Six Feet Under and Hello. She will soon be seen in Trade with Vinay Pathak, Hello Darling and RGV’s next Rann with Amitabh Bachchan, Riteish Deshmukh and Mallika Sherawat amongst many others in a stellar cast. The clear-thinking Gul – she has degrees in Mathematics and Political Science – doesn’t jump at every script that comes her way as she plans to stay in the industry for as long as possible: “I’m a marathon runner and plan to be here for as long as possible,” she explains, “It’s very important to keep the long-term picture in your mind whilst taking decisions.”

Gul recently appeared on the front page in eye-popping black lingerie for the men’s magazine Maxim. Was this a deliberate attempt on her part to change the way she’s perceived in Bollywood? “It was not for a change in my image,” she explains, “I am very happy to be associated with a certain type of work. But what is important is that people should understand that what they see on screen and what I am, are two different persons.”