Interview with Nargis Fakhri

We caught up with Nargis who plays the character of Sangeeta Bijlani - Azhars second wife.

How did you land Sangeeta Bijlani’s role in Azhar?

Balaji shared the script with me, told me about the character and they thought that I would fit well. They asked me if I would like to do the film because I enjoy films based on true life events. I was pretty excited because I feel you get a glimpse in someone else’s life that otherwise you would’ve never got a chance to see.
 

Did you meet Sangeeta Bijlani and Mohammad Azharuddin?

Unfortunately, I didn’t get to meet Sangeeta but I met Azhar twice. Not much of a conversation with him either, as Emraan did most of the talking.

How about your song sequence with Emraan who is touted as the ‘Serial kisser’ of Bollywood?

Emraan Hashmi is a smart conversationalist. I probably didn't enjoy filming the song as much as he did. Lots of kissing happened... In fact, there was so much of it that at one point I wasn't sure if they were retakes, a part of the song, or someone playing a prank on me

Did you ask Azhar anything about Sangeeta?

No, I did not. I left all of that to the director (Tony D’Souza) and then went through my workshops which consisted of her movies. Also, I had to do a lot of research through Internet, but it was fun. Honestly, my favourite part in my preparation was getting to dress up and get my hair done like the heroines did it in the 90s.

How was it working with Emraan Hashmi and Prachi Desai?

I spent more time with Emraan as we have a big love track in the film. Prachi is lovely and funny. With some people, you tend to be cordial but deep down inside you don’t like them- but with Prachi, I truly felt that she is a lovely person. As for Emraan, he is an awesome dude- grounded, smart, and very professional.
 

Emraan and you required several retakes while shooting the kissing scenes...

Emraan and I were too busy kissing to say anything, but Tony insisted on more retakes. I thought Emraan and he were playing a joke on me, so I got quite miffed – but later, I realised that the retakes were required.

How was it shooting the iconic song ‘Oye Oye’? You even fainted during its shoot...

It sucks being sick because you can’t give it your all and it becomes frustrating because you want to do your best. So, you can only try and do your best and hope it comes good. Thankfully, it has come out awesome.

Tell us one good and one bad memory that you take away from Azhar?

Dancing to ‘Oye Oye’ was sort of traumatic. If you're sick, you want to be in bed and need someone to take care of you. But here, I was dancing on the sets. That was the worst part. The best part was being in London and working with a very well organised team.

You have also worked in Hollywood. What is the big difference you see in Bollywood?

They don’t waste time out there, they stick to their dates. Here, you don't know what's going on!