‘It’s unfair to subject Andrew to harsh comments on social media’

After Rustom in 2016, Ileana D’cruz has two releases - Mubarkaan and Baadshaho, this year. While she did Rustom after a hiatus of two years, the actor says that she didn’t really fear losing out on projects during her time off.

“To be honest, I have refused a lot of big films in the past because I didn’t have much to do. After 11 years of working in films, I take great pride in being choosy. It pains me to do crap work, so I will not sign just about anything. So far, all my decisions have worked out for me. Also, I don’t think I need to be in your face all 365 days a year for people to remember me. My work should speak for me,” says the actor who will be next seen in Baadshaho with Ajay Devgn and Emraan Hashmi and Mubarakaan with Anil Kapoor and Arjun Kapoor.

Unlike actors who are guarded about their personal lives, Ileana wears her heart on her sleeve. Her social media accounts are crammed with happy images of her boyfriend - Australian photographer, Andrew Kneebone. Though the actor reveals that she was asked to keep her relationship a secret, she didn’t pay heed to such advice.

“Initially, I was told to not speak about my relationship. And while I don’t have an issue talking about it, it’s unfair that people are being unnecessarily harsh to him (Andrew). It is unfair to subject him to harsh comments just because I am a celebrity. He is entitled to his privacy and respect and he deserves both in equal measure. He is a great person, and it did affect me when people left harsh comments on my social media posts. But I do give it back to nasty trolls.”

While there were rumours that she recently married her beau, Ileana says that commitment is what matters most to her. “I think, more than anything else, it all boils down to how committed you are. You be dating, in a live-in relationship or married – the commitment level has to be the same. I have also grown up in the last four to five years,” says the Barfi actor.