‘I’ve a long way to go’

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This year is extra special for Nargis Fakhri. After receiving accolades for her performance in Madras Café, more films beside other projects (including being Reebok’s women’s fitness ambassador) are in her kitty. Nargis is already looking forward to master multitasking.
“Yes, 2013 indeed has been a special year for my career. I am extremely happy with all the overwhelming feedback for Madras Café. Now, next is Main Tera Hero with Varun Dhawan to be directed by David Dhawan and remake of the classic Shaukeen. Also, I am coming on board as Reebok’s Women’s fitness ambassador. I am looking forward to this association and hope to build a positive momentum for women’s fitness in India,” says the actress.
There was a time when not much work came her way. Her debut film Rockstar released in 2011 and Madras Café came two years later. It was a long gap, which sometimes can get frustrating, especially when critics write you off and media spends more time probing your personal life. Still Nargis maintained her calm with a mature head. “I ignored it and focused on what needed to be done. I had read a lot of scripts but nothing seemed right. So I focused on spending that time educating myself — Hindi, dance classes etc. I don’t come from this industry, so there was a lot to learn. Also, I was busy with my brand commitments, shoots, events, narrations. The time actually whisked by before Madras Café came to me. And it was totally worth the wait,” she smiles.
Nargis has surprised people with her honest performance of a war journalist in Madras Café, and it was not a cakewalk. “Shoojit Sircar and I spent a lot of time creating Jaya. We did a lot of research on war correspondents but Jaya Sahni had to be her own person. So we took all the data we found and added a bit of Nargis to it and created Jaya — a strong, passionate, fearless young girl. I had a great time playing the character,” she adds.
Jaya is vastly different from Heer Kaul, her character from Rockstar. “What I love about acting is that I can be a new person everyday. It’s like when I was a child, one day I wanted to be an astronaut and on another a ballerina. But being a part of the industry, I can actually get to do that. I can live different roles and find more of myself in these characters. So I am looking forward to doing a variety of roles and I hope I can come up with something unique every time,” says Nargis.
With Dhating Naach from Phata Poster Nikhla Hero, now we’ll see Nargis doing her first item number. “I love to dance, so when this opportunity came my way I jumped at it. Plus Shahid (Kapur) is one of the best dancers in the industry now, so how could I not. I thought I would just have to get all dolled up and come to set, but no. It was hard work. We trained for a week and then shot for three days, but I had a blast throughout!” she shares.
From speaking Hindi to dancing, Bollywood has taught Nargis all, but still a lot remains to be achieved. “Gosh so much! I have come a long way but I have a long way to go. I don’t think I’ll ever know it all. The day I feel I have learnt it all, achieved it all and experienced it all, I’ll leave for a new adventure,” she ends.