Nargis Fakhri took her time to learn the ropes but she has certainly warmed the hearts of her critics, writes Shubarna Mukerji Shu.
It is very rare that a person plays the lead in a cult film and yet struggles to find her footing. Nargis Fakhri is one actress who went from being a marvel to being criticised almost in an instant. But that was a long time ago; today she has managed three films and a couple of item numbers while she is taking her time to learn the ropes. All set to go to the holy H (Hollywood) the Hindi film industry has declared her to be one of their own.
“I came into this industry like a new born baby, I had to learn how to crawl, how to walk… yes, of course, the criticism was difficult to deal with. I am a sensitive person; I had to keep reminding myself that the criticism was not directed at me as a person. It was tough, mainly because it was largely different from everything I had known before. The basics were – and continue to be – the language, the dance, the acting… Where I came from, the culture I was accustomed to, was completely different. I kept finding myself wondering how I was coming through to these people… did they realise I was only teasing? Did they know I said what I said as a joke and didn’t really mean it? Do they know that I might appear easygoing but I am serious about my job? Frankly, I don’t know how I came across to people, so it made it that much tougher to make a place for myself here. But having said that, it has already been three years, the longest I have lived anywhere!”
For someone who took a vow to get herself and her family out of the back lanes of Queens, and made a success of herself only to let herself be vulnerable again, might not seem like the most prudent move. Though she is steadily gaining ground, didn’t she wonder what she was doing?
“When I first arrived here, I asked myself ‘What am I doing? You have lived a full life, why are you doing this to yourself? You have achieved so much, learnt so much, then why make yourself vulnerable again?’ I could have got a comfortable job, lived on a salary, had my friends close by and lived a normal comfortable life. But somehow maybe it is in my personality… I like the risk-taking; I enjoy seeing myself grow. I love learning about new things, culture and people. It stimulates me, though it was tough… Maybe I am not that type of person who can handle a regular life… and yet, I didn’t choose this, God placed this in front of me. I have never really planned my life, I have lived with an open mind. I would not do it any other way. I want to be that granny who passes wise things on to her grandchildren.”
And yet, it has been three fruitful years here! India does that, I guess, she smiled and said, “Yes, it sucks you in!” Having left such a big part of her life behind, it needed to be asked, if she missed the wandering… “I know I cannot just point at the map and take off to New Zealand like I had once done. I keep talking about that place because I have never felt as liberated and alive anywhere else, but hey, I haven’t really panned across the world, so I cannot in all honesty say so, but I did love the freshness of that land. There are more sheep than people there, isn’t that awesome? Everyone is outdoorsy and relaxed. I cannot do that anymore.
“That doesn’t mean I am not traveling, I do travel a lot, but I think it has just got too much of late. I wake up in the morning and I am told I need to be on a plane shortly – that’s not fun. You know, when I used to travel earlier, I would pack a good two weeks in advance and then unpack and repack at least five more times. At the end of it, I would be carrying the smallest bag and everything I needed was in there. I am really good at rolling things into tiny packs and tucking them into the corners. And yet, the other day I reached Delhi and it was really cold and I had forgotten to carry a jacket. Somewhere in all this excessive travelling, the joy of packing and going somewhere is lost. I used to travel to stay put for at least four months, here now I am back home in the evening, where’s the fun in that?”
