Deepti Naval would have missed the offer to act in Leela as she was travelling in the remote northern state. Fortunately, she was available - online!

Name:
Deepti Naval

Claim to fame:
Recently won acclaim for her role in films like Bawandar and Leela. She will be seen next in Freaky Chakra, a slightly unusual Hinglish film slated for release on February 7.

How Net savvy are you? On a scale of 1 to 10, how would you rate yourself?
I am fairly Net savvy. Though lately, I have been so busy with shooting that I have had not been able to surf at all. As of now, I check email twice daily. I am not a chat person. I can't make polite conversation endlessly without knowing or meeting the person.

When I have free time, I usually check out Web sites for more information on films or a book I am reading and for reviews on it. Or even get more information about the director. I even use the Net to get more information about music that I like.

Do you use the Net for work?
All the time. I carry my laptop and my Nokia Communicator with me everywhere I travel. I have been offered my last three films – Bawandar, Leela and Freaky Chakra via email. In fact, I was in Ladakh when I got an email saying, "We are casting for Leela and we would like you to work with us. Where are you?" I replied and then came down immediately and wrote to them about my role and other details!

What are your favourite sites?
I usually rely on Google and Yahoo! to get me anywhere I want. I also have a site book-marked to get me information about India, when I travel.

Have you ego surfed?
All the time. In fact, when I want to trace an article that has been written about me that I have not read, I usually trace it online. But yes, it is kind of weird to find things alive online, even a few months after they are over.

What would you like to do online?
I haven't reached the status of being so user friendly to order things online or make my bookings for tickets or any other purpose. I would like to learn all of that, especially how to use Net banking and order books online!

What do you like and hate most about the Internet?
What I like about the Internet is the fact that there is such easy access to information and one needn't travel to see the world now. It's all on your desktop.

But what I hate is the information overload. One cannot always believe what one reads online. Also, the lack of privacy is kind of scary, especially when one hears about email accounts being hacked. Also I hate Hotmail for all the junk mail that keeps appearing in different avatars under different email ids. No amount of blocking can make it go away!

Do you get a lot of fan email?
Yes, I do. I have been ever since I acted in Bawandar.

Would you like to have your own Web site?
I am in the process of putting up Deeptinaval.com. It will have a lot of information about my career as an actress. It will also have my poetry, pictures and photographs that I have clicked! I am quite excited about it.

What are you currently trying to acquire?
I would to like to get a DVD attachment to my desktop so that I can watch movies on it.

If the Internet didn't exist...
I wouldn't have been home when the people from the USA called me to offer me the role in Leela; and the part would have gone to somebody else!

Any celebrity you would like to chat online with?
No one. I would rather meet people face-to-face.

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