India, July 5 -- Few actors can boast the longevity and continued relevance that Farida Jalal has enjoyed, remaining one of the industry's most enduring and active performers.

A testament to this is her latest film, Welcome to the Jungle, in which she plays Badi Bi, who speaks incoherently. Yet, the audience has not stopped showering love on the character. "God's kind! Everyone has been saying great things. Compliments are flowing in from all quarters. This is our reward as actors," says Jalal, recalling how the character was fleshed out.

"Akshay (Kumar, actor), Ahmad (Khan, director) and I were all sitting together when Akshay got a call. This girl on the other end kept jabbering away. After the call, Akshay said, 'Let's have you do so...