She's the new kid on the block. All of 23, Janvi Chheda gets to play the role of an air force officer in Star One's Chhoona Hai Aasmaan.

In real life, the dusky beauty is a simple middle class girl who swears by family values and gorges on chocolates. In a chat with Mayur Lookhar, Janvi tells us all about the preparations that went into essaying the role of an air force pilot.

Can you please talk about your character?
I play Weapon Systems officer Sameera Singh, who's basically carrying her father's legacy. She never saw her father, who always wanted her to succeed him. She's one of the first women pilots to fly a Sukhoi.

Sameera's father wanted her to become a pilot. What did Janvi's father expect her daughter to become?
My father never had any expectations from me. All he's ever said is that one day I should make it to the place where I aspire to be. My parents have never imposed any restrictions. They've never set any set of rules or instructions. All they want from me is to accept responsibly.

Accept responsibility! Are you the eldest child in the family?
Yes I am. I have a younger sister and a brother. Being the eldest, I have to even look after their needs. I'm just glad that I've been able to make my family proud.

Can you elaborate on your background?
I'm born and brought up in Mumbai. I've done my B.Com from Ritumbara College. Thereafter, I did theatre before anchoring a show for ETC Gujarati. Chhoona.. isn't my first role. I had earlier played the second lead in Akhand Saubhagyavati which was produced by Asha Parekh. However, Chhoona.. has to be my biggest break.

Your co-actor in Chhoona.... Vani Sharma also hails from the same college. Were you in touch with each other before?
Vani and I go a long way. We first met in our first year in Ritumbara College. We were in the same class. However, we went about our career in separate ways. We didn't audition together for Chhoona. It was pleasantly surprise to have as part of the cast. That really helped as I was unfamiliar with the others actors.

Were there any apprehensions when you first met Iqbal Khan?
There were no apprehensions but I had this image of him as a big television star. However, on the first day of our shoot, he came to my vanity van and introduced himself. He's truly a very down to earth person. He's likely to play my love interest in the show.

For a 23-year-old to bag to a role of an air force officer that too early in your career must be really exciting.
Words cannot describe the feeling I'm going through. Most of us only dream of joining the air force. As an actor, I'm getting to live it. Also, I couldn't have asked for a better role in my second show itself.

Are there any similarities between Sameera and Janvi?
They are very much like each other. For them, their family is like their backbone. They are very good to those who are good with them and can be really bad with their enemies. They are genuinely nice people but also very tough.

Your character must have required you to do a lot of homework. So, how have been you preparing yourself?
Well, we got the opportunity to interact with real air force officers. Our workshop in Jodhpur worked wonders for us. I've learnt all the do's and don'ts of an air force officer. For instance, how must one dress up, how to wear the cap, you body posture etc. Visiting such places is often a matter of national security. We were not allowed to use our mobile phones and were completely out of contact from the rest of the world. We were told not to eat on the tarmac.

Did you go through rigorous physical training?
We learnt martial arts and we used to practice it daily at Juhu beach. I even had the opportunity to test my skills. But I wouldn't reveal who was at the receiving end. Also, we had to watch out on our food.

There have been some developments in the ongoing Inda-Pak peace process. Although, the nature of your show isn't going to have any effect on the peace process but cynics will question about such a show during these changed times?
I firmly believe that no country creates terrorists. They exist in every country. Also before pointing fingers at anyone, we should look in our own backyard. There's terrorism within India too. If we want to win over terrorism, we first need to fight the enemy within. However, I will say that there's lot of negativity surrounding our country.

What are your likes and dislikes?
I'm just a simple middle class girl. I like chocolates, diamonds, dancing, and music. I'm currently learning salsa. My favourite chocolate is Ferrero Rocher.

There's no particular thing that annoys me. It depends on a situation or a person.

What about boys?
At the moment, I'm only thinking about my work. Even if I find one, I' wouldn't like the whole world to know about it. I like to keep my personal life personal.