It was as a child artist that Urmila debuted into the world of films. Her performance in Masoom, one of her early movies, easily ranks amongst the best by a child actress ever. But it was her unstoppable dance moves, magnetic sexual appeal and a very colorful wardrobe in the 1995’s runway hit Rangeela that finally catapulted her into the dizzying heights of stardom. With her ample full red lips, a gorgeous hairstyle, striking deep-set dark eyes and a magnificently sculpted body, it was a simple matter for her to make serious inroads in the hearts and minds of numerous fans. But beauty is not all that Urmila is about. Her ravishing performance won her the Filmfare Best Actress Award for her work in Rangeela.

Her Rangeela success was followed by a string of films where she gave complex and mature performances. Films like Satya, Kaun, Jungle, Pyar Tune Kya Kiya, etc established her abilities beyond doubt. Urmila is an outstanding dancer and that makes it natural that she should be featured in Bollywood “item numbers”, in which a star gives a cameo performance in a song-and-dance number. Perhaps her best-known item number is the Chamma Chamma sequence from 1998's China Gate. Now she has been roped for the super hit item number "Mehbooba, Mehbooba..." for Ram Gopal Verma’s remake of Sholay.

Regarding her item number in Sholay, she says, “It's going to be exciting. Mehbooba, Mehbooba... is a song that I have danced to at parties and at discotheques. To do it on screen would be a challenging and groovy experience. Just sharing screen space with Mr. Bachchan would be exciting.” If there is one actress who can endeavor to match Helen’s dancing performance, then it is undoubtedly Urmila. Urmila agrees that dancing is her passion. She says, “I’m the happiest when I’m dancing. In fact I'm a happy person by nature.”

The most amazing thing about Urmila is the sheer diversity of the roles in her repertoire. She has played every conceivable role an actress can possibly play in her career and there’s still more of Urmila to be seen in the near future. In 2005 her film Maine Gandhi Ko Nahin Mara got released. The films Gandhian theme may seem incongrous in today’s world but through her breathtaking performance Urmila manages to get the message across. Feeling satisfied by her own performance, she says, “I am happy with my role in Maine Gandhi Ko Nahin Mara. I had people from all walks of life coming forward to praise me. I stuck my neck out to do this film.”

Urmila’s relation with the Bollywood director Ram Gopal Verma has always evoked much gossip. But neither the director nor the actress is ready to open up about the true nature of the relationship they share. When asked to name the one love in her life, Urmila says, “I'm still waiting to fall in love. That will have to wait for the time being. Getting married is a little far off right now. How about falling in love first?” But is it possible that eventually the actress may decide to marry first and fall in love later? She says, “That seems a little far-fetched. I can’t make any plans for marriage. When it will happen, it will happen. I’ve always lived my life with fierce honesty. That quality will be seen in my choice for a soul mate also.”