1.When was your first role as an actor?
It was a long time back. When I was thirteen I reckon. That’s the first I ever faced the camera. It wasn’t like a lead. I was a junior artist. I just happened to be on a set and they were looking for people to fill in the empty space and said you’ll get paid 500 Rs so i got excited as a child and i told my dad let’s do it coz we were facing a major financial crunch and that time that 500 Rs meant a lot to me as a 13 year old child. But As a full fledged actor, it was in Prem Aggan when Mr. Feroz Khan launched me.
2.Can you name any new projects you are coming up with?
I cannot name any new projects at the moment as it’s not allowed other than this song that I am doing called show off. It’s a song with Afsana Khan “titliyan warga” fame. That’s going to be released soon in April. There are a couple of other projects in the pipeline but I can’t announce them now .
3.Your opinion on wellness and fitness and wellness?
I think it’s extremely important to be fit mentally and physically. More so mentally because then the physical fitness will come automatically. Without fitness we are incomplete. We have a body given by the universe and we are here to take care of that. It is a machine that we use to fulfill our dreams, desires, and the universal prophecy for each in our own ways.If we have a car or something we have to take care of that for it to run smoothly to reach our desired destination and similarly or even more so for the body. So we could do what we are meant to do. It improves the quality of your life, your focus, and your life in totality. It is extremely important for me to be fit and well mentally as well as physically.
4.How much do you work out?
I workout about one and a half to two hours a day depending on what my body requires. Sometimes I can barely move, sometimes not at all, and sometimes a bit too much. It all depends on what the body is saying. I listen to the body and the mind. When the energy is high, I use it for my betterment. On an average, you can say at least an hour to an hour and half a day.
5.Your favorite place to travel?
I love to travel to Turkey, Greece, Italy, and Switzerland. These are my most favorite destinations to travel to.
6.What are your favorite cuisines?
I love Italian, Turkish, Greek, and Japanese cuisines and my home cooked food.
7.Who is your favorite star and why?
My favorite actor of all time has to be Meryl Streep and Daniel Day-Lewis. These are absolute legends. They get into the skin of their characters like no one else and they change 180 degrees. Every movie that they have done inspires me and they are just phenomenal actors. if I can become even fifty percent of what they are, I would feel that my purpose as an actor is fulfilled. It also shows how passionate they are about their craft and how invested they are in it. The charisma and the magic only comes out of a passion like that. I like that and they are so hardworking and smart to catch the intricacies of each character they portray. They are gifted actors. I want to be a legend like them.
8.Which celebrity do you love to work with?
I want to work with so many of them. I would want to work with Aamir Khan again. Shah Rukh Khan for sure, and working with Daniel Day-Lewis and Meryl Streep would be like a dream come true. I would love to work with some of the fine talents that our country has like Ranveer Singh, Vicky Kaushal, Ayushmann Khurana. They are doing some phenomenal work in recent times. Even Ali Fazal is a fantastic actor. And so is Vijay Verma from Gully Boy. These are a fantastic bunch and I would love to work with them.
9.What inspires you?
People, in general, inspire me. All kinds of them. I think the will to survive, thrive and the human will of existence inspires me. We exist because we willed it, the universe willed it. This is the most inspiring thing to me. The consistency to keep going and the power to keep surviving and thriving is inspirational. Another thing that inspires me is honesty. Honesty and loyalty inspire me. It’s very rare to see in today’s world hence it’s inspirational to me. Basic human qualities like being respectful, being kind and the attitude of never giving up inspires me.
10.What is your greatest strength and weakness?
My greatest strength is my honesty and the courage to accept myself as whatever I am in totality as much understanding of myself at this moment, And my awareness of myself. When you are aware of yourself, you become aware of a lot of things around you. We are all very similar in ways. I have a beautiful heart and have the essence to do only good to people even if they have done bad to me. That’s a huge strength. I wish everyone well and I don’t have any malice or vengeance for anybody. The mystery that I create by just being observant and silent is a strength as well. It is extremely difficult to keep quiet for a lot of us. I am a great listener and I have the capability to understand and see people from their point of view. That saves me from a lot of conflict and pain in life. And I never ever give up. My faith is my biggest strength. It keeps me going. Your various strengths can be your weaknesses too sometimes, depending on how you look at them. If my honesty is my strength, it could be my weakness because more often than not people don’t want to be with an honest person because they love Lies. They’re comfortable with lies hence they prefer a liar than an honest person. It has made me lose a lot of work in the past , a lot of Relationships too but I don’t regret it. I find these values very powerful and rare. I feel I’m blessed to have them in me with such strength so I accesories it rather than trying to be like others and trying to fit it. I accept my standing out and I like to hold on to these virtues. I accept them wholeheartedly. The existence wants me to be this way. I am unique and exclusive that way. The same things can be your weakness. Sometimes your never-giving-up attitude can create doubts and a lack of faith from time to time as life gets harder so It all depends on how you look at it and how you handle it.
11.What is the most memorable and exciting thing you have seen in the Bollywood industry?
I have learned so much from Bollywood. I have met some amazing people in this industry. This industry has made me really laugh and really cry. Both have been extremes. I have met some very strong people and we have some very naive and vulnerable people here as well. Other than a few most are vulnerable here. It teaches you to be human and you meet so many different kinds of people in one Industry. I love my industry. I love art and performance in cinema. I have grown up watching so much cinema with a huge passion for it. I love the power of cinema on how it can change the state of mind completely. We can go to a pit or it can elevate you depending on the kind of content one is consuming. This kind of power is rare and amazing. Ours is one of the most powerful industries and that’s why some are scared of us because we really hold the power to rule people’s hearts and mend them if we want to and the way we want to. That’s a great power to have on people.
12.As an actress what is the most challenging role you have ever taken?
The most challenging role that I have taken is yet to come. I am very hard on myself sometimes. Everything I have chosen is challenging. I was doing Maaya and it was very challenging to understand how the whole BDSM world worked. Yeh meri life hai from the eyes of the character of Pooja Mehta was very challenging. To perform and produce a series on mental health “Ab Dil Ki Sunn” was extremely challenging. Every role that I take is difficult and I don’t take things that don’t challenge me. Unfortunately, I can’t share all the upcoming stuff as yet and I can’t wait for it to come out. To share some of my most challenging roles yet.
13.How do you handle performance anxiety?
I take a few deep breaths. I do a ten minute meditation if I am anxious. I take a break and in those moments just breathe and have a small pep talk with myself with say some affirmations like, “I am enough”, I am everything that it requires me to be”, “I deserve the best, I am limitless and I am capable to do anything, I am invincible” i am loved and accepted beyond measures. I am safe. ….I literally say these to myself if I have any kind of anxiety.
14.What event made you consider becoming an actress?
My father wanted me to be an actress. I think he saw that in me. I used to watch movies and come back and narrate the whole script to everybody. I used to do that with action, dance, and dialogue. He saw that in me and thought that I could be an actress. I love my job and now I see it differently than when I was a kid. I see it as a platform where a lot of things can be conveyed to a huge audience. It’s a great medium to stay connected to people. All humans like to be appreciated and this medium gives you that and the boost from within. It makes us feel good and powerful being an actor.
15.What sort of acting roles will you be seeking in the future?
I always like to do something different and challenging than I have done before. I am very conscious to choose subjects that are unique and have a kind of a social message too if possible not at all times of course . Or something that will make me grow as an actor. That’s one thing I do to pick my projects.
16.How many other languages do you speak?
I speak Gujarati, Marwadi, Hindi, Marathi, Punjabi, and English of course. So six of them I can speak and some of them I can read and write.
17.Do you have any favorite clothes?
Yes, I do. I have so many clothes and it keeps changing. My favorite clothing is the most comfortable ones. I love my track pants and sweatshirts or my pajamas.
18.What can a person do to attract your attention?
Nothing. I like people who are natural and courageous enough to be themselves. I appreciate that about people. It’s rare to see people who don’t try too hard. When you are simple you grab more attention and respect, in my eyes.
19.What does it feel like to be a celebrity?
It feels great and amazing and responsible at the same time . I feel blessed. It’s not easy to get so many people’s deep affection. Being an actor I get that. I am forever grateful to God and the people for choosing me for their love and appreciation since the time I started my career .
20.If you could pass on one message to your fans, what message would that be?
Just be yourself and breathe. We often miss out on deep breaths. It will all turn out to be fine. Have faith. There is nothing bigger than sticking to your faith. Even if it seems life is coming crashing down, let it crash, but stick to the faith. You will come back again. The faith will bring you back. I have experienced it myself. When you don’t give up on your faith, miracles happen. And life can be magical. Use your energy to your benefit. Be a better human, become aware of who you are. If you don’t know who you really are, go spend time with yourself and look within. Love yourself and the only love you require is by, to, and for yourself. Everything else will fall in place automatically, that’s how the universe works. Let things happen and you do your best to not interfere in the happening by resisting it. You just Do what really makes you happy without hurting other people. If hurting people makes you happy, find what traumatizes you and heal that. And once you are healed, be in the path of abundance.
