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"It's not for a film, it's for real!" confirms Sameera, who has just shot for her first Bengali film, directed by Buddhadeb Dasgupta, in Kolkata.
Last week, Emma sneaked into Mumbai and did everything Sameera does, including shoot for a Hindi film. Tentatively titled Pal Tham Gaya, the film stars Rishi Kapoor and Dimple Kapadia and is produced by Percept Pictures.
Emma did all the filmi jhatkas in an engagement song with Sameer Dattani (Uuf Kya Jadoo Mohabbat Hai) and Soha Ali Khan.
Now, it's Sameera's turn to go to London to get a feel of Emma's lifestyle.
"That's so much fun!" Sameera exclaims excitedly. "Emma is the British spice girl and I'm the Indian spice girl! BBC approached me a few months ago to undertake this exchange programme with Emma. Last week, she came to Mumbai and did all the things I do. Now, I'll be going to London and Bristol to do things she does."
So how was this exchange planned? "They wanted a chirpy Bollywood actress with a metropolitan image, who could bring a feel of Bollywood to England, live Emma's life, shop where she does and make a guest appearance in the hit series, Casualty," Sameera explains.
The actress took a personal interest in Emma's Mumbai trip. "I sat with the BBC and planned her visit. I wanted her to live those days exactly the way I do. I got her dressed in clothes designed by Rocky S and had her sent to a film set. She was in a state of shock! She has planned a surprise for me in London too. I've an inkling that she has arranged a shopping spree for me," she says.
And will they be exchanging boyfriends too? "Ha! There wasn't anyone for her here," Sameera giggles. "I leave for London from Kolkata on November 28. I will be back in time for the release of Musafir. I will get a feel of the British paparazzi and be splashed in British tabloids, just like she is. While she had the 'Indian Standard Time' experience in Mumbai, I'll be subjected to British punctuality."
