Ferena Wazeir  [ Posted on 24 Dec 2007 ]

Oh, very different from that of a normal Indian girl. I come from a simple, strict, conservative family. You are in for a real culture shock; we lived in a foreign country, yet we spoke in Hindi or in the Dogri (Kashmiri) language at home. In fact, I was shocked when I came to India and saw the kids talking to their dads in English! I mean, my dad was quite strict. He would give me 10 cents to buy sweets, but sweets cost 12 cents and I`d do some odd jobs at weekends to earn extra money. I spent quality time by engaging myself in some social welfare especially for the Duke of Edinburgh Institute for Handicapped Children. I was more of an outdoor person going for mountain climbs and treks but was good in academics too. Then how did you take to acting? Well, in my University years, I had the opportunity to work in a few students films. That`s where it all began. Then I did theatre and monologues at the Royal Academy of Arts, London. Actually, when I was very young, I wanted to be everything from a teacher to a lawyer. My dad wanted me to be a politician, but I took acting - now I think I can be any one of them! From being the next Margaret Thatcher you want to be the next Madhuri Dixit? What prompted you to join Hindi films? I was in India during the Pushkar camel fair in Rajasthan in my vacations. I was still in my teens. There I met a photographer who recommended me to a few directors and I was offered a few films to work in India but somehow they just didn`t work. I went back to Scotland, completed my education and came back to India, where my real roots are, to give a fresh start. That means it was a tough start but you still didn`t give up! That`s pretty admirable. Oh yeah! I was a bit disillusioned at first but when I returned to India everything really took off. I was the chosen one to play Mumtaz Mahal in the Taj song by A. R. Rahman. It was a great start. Then I did a video for Hariharan; complete black and white with the feel of the 30s and 40s. My theatre background helped me get work with Raell Padamsee and Satyadev Dubey at the Prithvi Theatre. That sounds pretty interesting and encouraging. Any film projects up your sleeve? Right now, I`m shooting for Ketan Mehta`s film in which I play a Parsi journalist. Then there`s Raj Kanwar`s Sadiyaan opposite Luv Sinha (Shatrughan Sinha`s son); Rekha, Rishi Kapoor, Shabana Azmi are all part of it. Then there`s this much coveted project with Hollywood director Danis Tanovic (Oscar winning director of "No Man`s Land"). Next year, I`ll be shooting for Soni Razdan`s film based on the book ‘Difficult Daughters` by Manju Kapur and a few others, but I can`t talk about them. As a new comer, what are you looking out for? Firstly, I believe that every new comer should have his or her head on their shoulders, and feet firm on the ground. You need to be quite discreet and choose the right roles, right films and right film makers because that`ll decide your other future projects. Well, there is the pressure of making the right choices and you need to be patient. I believed in doing nothing at all until I got the right things. You have done theatre and few projects in Scotland as well. What difference did you feel in the shootings here and there? Really, not much, I`ll say. Yeah, there actors usually do one movie at a time so there is no problem of dates and things get more organised. But here, actors work in three to four projects at a time. Everything is fast here right from script writing to casting to shooting. There`s a chaotic rhythm to it which is fun and really nice. But there, you don`t face problems like rains and power cuts. Just the other day, we were shooting for Ketan Mehta`s film and due to some problem, we had to shoot the last scene instead of the scheduled one and it was really very scary! But that`s how you grow and learn and your adaptability improves as an actor. Hindi films have really opened up in the past few years. Are you ready for bold scenes? Well, I`m not quite open to them and have refused a few because of it because of my conservative upbringing. I believe that the Indian family audience is not quite comfortable with boldness on screen. I remember, my dad used to turn the TV away! But I know that as an artiste I may have to yield some day or the other but I`ll make sure that it is really needed in the film and is done aesthetically by a sensible team. I believe in respecting the cultural sensibilities of my country. Cutting to something light, which actors have been your biggest inspirations? And any favourite movies? Oh many! I love Gone With the Wind, Pyaasa, Mother India, Mughal-e-Azam, Guide, Umrao Jaan. I just loved that vintage sepia touch. The era of Madhubala and Nargis, Dilip Kumar and Dev Anand had a pristine charm and was wonderful! Guru Dutt was an ace director. In later years I was very fond of Rekha, Sridevi….and Madhuri Dixit for their personality, screen presence and dances. In the present times too, there are many who have made a niche for themselves. Aamir Khan really inspires me due to his commitment, work and dialogue delivery. He seems to be very rational; Saif Ali Khan….he was great in Omkara. In fact, each one is good in their own way and, as a new comer, I think I can learn a lot from their experiences and get inspired from what is best in each of them. Wow, that sounds really nice. And what about the songs? I love the old Hindi songs. In fact I prefer them, they were so meaningful and soothing to the auditory senses. Being the daughter of an Urdu teacher, I learnt music and understood the nuances of ghazals which are really soulful and beautiful! But now times have changed and ghazals have almost vanished from films. Yes and you have to be a part of the current trend and keep pace with the kind of films made in Mumbai. Now that you have made Mumbai your base, how do you find the place? Ah, difficult to say. I love it and hate it. It`s really overwhelming. Life`s so fast here yet fun and lively. But yeah, I hate the pollution and the daily struggle of life but you can`t ignore Mumbai! In fact, when I was in Scotland sometime back, I really missed Mumbai. It`s like a prison you miss when you leave! But still I love this place and its pace. I have declined offers from the West just to be in India and work here in India. And I have made Mumbai my home now! After all, I am every inch an Indian, my thinking is Indian and will remain Indian! Ferena sounded philosophical and reminded me of the great song from the Raj Kapoor film….Laakh lubhaaye mahal paraaye, apna ghar phir apna ghar hai, aa ab laut chalen. Well Ferena, now that you are back for good and have accepted Mumbai, the Mecca of Hindi Cinema, the dream city will surely offer you all that it has and all that you aspire for and deserve – opportunities, promises, name, fame and fortune.

Posted By : Iftnewsdesk