I wanted to be like Kareena Kapoor, says Riya Vij

Mumbai: Riya Vij, who is making her acting debut with Karan Johar`s `Gippi`, says she never dreamt of acting in movies but wanted to be like Kareena Kapoor.

"When I was very small, I wanted to become an actress. Whenever I used to watch movies I was fascinated with glamour and the whole feel of being a heroine. I wanted to become like Kareena Kapoor," Riya told reporters in an interview. "But when I grew a bit older I felt it was all stupid. Then I wanted to become a teacher, I was fascinated with school life... But now I am just enjoying my school life and will see what happens next," she said. 14-year-old Riya, who looks upto megastar Amitabh Bachchan, does not mind doing movies from here after but she has a condition. "If I get an opportunity to work in a good film and if it does not hamper my studies then I would love to do it. But I am not thinking of all this much," she said. In Sonam Nair`s directorial debut `Gippi`, Riya plays an awkward teenager, who gets bullied because of her weight. The film is produced by Karan Johar`s Dharma Productions and releases on May 10. The makers underwent extensive auditions to finalise the lead for the film and in the end Delhi-based Riya was roped in to play the title role. But Riya reveals she got to do the film by fluke, as it was her friend, who actually wanted to do the movie and she just tagged along. "I was not really keen on acting. But by the time I got selected, started doing the film, my interest grew. I am just hoping people will like me in the film," she added. Riya does not have a filmi background and facing the camera for the first time was not easy for her. "I was a lot nervous. But I was not serious about it as there were so many people. I thought there was hardly any chance of me getting selected." "My first audition was embarrassing as I was really nervous. I don`t know what I was doing, speaking. But then with the third-fourth round I became more comfortable. I started to know how Gippi is. I could relate to the character in a way as we are of the same age group," Riya said. PTI