Urmila Matondkar is a woman looking for change. And she is willing to work hard to find it.

Which is why she is willing to stake her glam-doll image on films like Kaun, Pyaar Tune Kya Kiya (Fardeen Khan, Sonali Kulkarni) and Bhoot (Ajay Devgan, Fardeen Khan, Rekha, Victor Banerjee, Nana Patekar).

Each of these three films has seen Urmila in daringly different roles.

In Ram Gopal Varma's Kaun, she plays the petrified protagonist who lends the film its unexpected twist.

In Rajat Mukherjee's Pyaar Tune Kya Kiya, she is the obsessive woman who turns murderous when the man she loves rejects her. There were several who felt it was one of the most underrated performances by an actress in recent times.

Actress Kiron Kher says, "I was on the jury of a popular award and was deeply disgusted when someone else was chosen. I thought Urmila was outstanding in Pyaar Tune Kya Kiya."

But it is with her stunning performance in Varma's Bhoot that Urmila has truly made an impact. As the terrified housewife possessed by a ghost, she came in for immense critical acclaim.

Costar Rekha, too, spent more than an hour praising Urmila's performance.

Revelling in her current glory, a thrilled Urmila can't stop smiling, "I performed on a purely instinctive level. There is no reference point for the ghost entering and leaving the woman's body. Rekhaji said there were so many expressions on my face when I tell my husband [Ajay Devgan] there is a ghost in our house. But it was my sister [Maithili] who paid me the ultimate compliment. She said my performance transcended the normal requirements of horror films."

The actress is overwhelmed by the positive response. She says, "I am asked how I prepared myself to play a woman possessed by a spirit. I have no reply. Everyday went in preparation and yet there was no preparation. It is easy to play one-dimensional roles all the time. Next, I have Pinjar [Manoj Bajpai, Priyanshu], where I play a completely different character."

According to Urmila, the challenge of a performance doesn't lie in the characterisation, but the manner in which it is executed. "An artiste's input, her ability to create dimensions within the given space is very important. Do you think any of the compositions that Lataji [Mangeshkar] or Ashaji [Bhosle] have sung would be the same without their voices? I don't mean to compare myself with them. But I believe I have contributed in making my character in Bhoot appear scary, yet real."

Bhoot is running successfully all over the country. A jubilant Urmila concludes, "We have managed to scare the nation without the props that are normally used in ghost films. There are no shots of ghouls and beds flying in the air. I think Mr Ram Gopal Varma must be congratulated for pushing the envelope."