New Delhi: When Kingfisher Calendar Girl Nargis Fakhri accepted the role of Jaya Sahni in Shoojit Sircar's political thriller 'Madras Café', little did she know about its benefits and how they'd outweigh her hard slog!
Nargis, who kicked off her journey as a Bollywood actor with Imtiaz Ali's 'Rockstar', was slammed for her dead pan expressions in the film. While the film was commended for Ranbir Kapoor's performance, his angst, struggle and aggressive outbursts, the oblique script and not-so-striking acting skills of Nargis were seen as its key flaws.
But with Shoojit Sircar's 'Madras Cafe', she proves her detractors wrong. So those who took jabs at her for offering almost nothing in terms of acting, making her character come across a victim in 'Rockstar', ought to watch the political thriller.
We give you a lowdown on how Nargis Fakhri has used 'Madras Cafe' as a turning point in her career.
Breaks out of the comfort zone: For someone, who neither has a godfather nor filmy connection in Bollywood, stepping out of the comfort zone calls for determination, grit and confidence. Nargis, who showed no inhibitions in taking up the challenging role of London-based war correspondent Jaya Sahni in 'Madras Cafe', will now experience a huge phase shift in her professional life.
Firangs in Bollywood shouldn't be stereotyped: Every year several foreign actors head to India to be a part of Bollywood, courtesy its universal reach and power. While majority of the international actors are roped in for their well-sculpted bodies, the demand of exotic screen presence too works in their favour. Unlike international actors such as Mia Uyeda, Nathalia Kaur, who took up item numbers, or shed clothes and performed intimate scenes, Nargis doesn't do the obvious. With her portrayal of Jaya Sahni, inspired by real life writer and journalist Anita Pratap, she has proved that firangs in Bollywood too deserve meaty roles.
Transition into the serious, adult role: After she played a young Kashmiri girl Heer Kaul in Imtiaz Ali's 'Rockstar' and romanced Ranbir Kapoor, many thought she'd continue to do something similar to gain acceptance from the viewers. But with 'Madras Cafe', she took up a role which was so far removed from what the viewers expected from Nargis that her versatility has to be appreciated. The seriousness and candor with which she has delivered a few hard-hitting dialogues, Nargis has proved that she can't be written off like others. "Criticizing national policies doesn't make me anti-national" and "As a war correspondent it is important that I'm seen unbiased," are a few forceful dialogues she delivers.
Goes de-glam sans any inhibitions: It is never an easy decision, especially for a newbie, to do away with make-up. For an actress like Nargis, who is popular for her killer curves, fashion choices, wearing not even the slightest swipe of lipstick can be a scary idea. But Nargis does glam it down to do justice to the finer nuances of the role she essays in the film. She also watched TV news to prepare for the role. "It was difficult as I am not a real journo. But the help of workshops, people, documentaries as well as footage from on the field war correspondents of BBC and CNN and my own efforts, helped me understand my character Jaya," Fakhri has been quoted as saying.
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