by MOHNISH SINGH.
BORN in Afghanistan and brought up in various countries across the world, model turned
actress Warina Hussain is ready to set foot in Bollywood with the forthcoming film, LoveYatri.
The comedy drama, which also marks the acting debut of megastar Salman Khan’s brother-in-law Aayush Sharma, is a musical romance set during the festival of Navratri.
As LoveYatri races towards its theatrical release next Friday (5), Warina is looking forward to the next chapter of her life with excitement. She spoke to Eastern Eye about the debut dream role, what drew her towards Hindi cinema, favourite actresses and much more.
Your debut film LoveYatri is about to be released globally. Are you nervous or excited ahead of it arriving in cinemas?
I am nervous and excited at the same time. I have that feeling you have during your final exams. What will be the result? You hope for good things. I still can’t believe it’s happening. And October is so close. There are all this mixed feelings.
How did you land the role?
I was auditioning for a couple of films and one day, at 3am in the morning, I was informed that I have to make a selfie video and send it to a casting coordinator. I then got a message from the coordinator to upload my introduction video on the Being In Touch app. So, I did that and after a month, I got a call from Mukesh Chabbra, the casting director. I went there and auditioned for my role. After that I met Aayush Sharma and director
Abhiraj Minawala.
Did you know you were auditioning for LoveYatri, a film to be produced by
superstar Salman Khan?
No, I didn’t, because when I got the script, it was blank and had no mention of the production house. Generally, when we get a script, we are told about the production house and entire details of the project. But as I said, this was a blank script.
So how did you feel when you found out that Salman Khan would be producing the film?
I still can’t believe that I am debuting with such a big banner. Everything is there in this movie. This is the perfect debut anybody could have ever wished for. You are getting a chance to work with all the best people and obviously, I am still very grateful and sometimes I feel this is not real.
Have you seen any of his films?
Of course I have seen them. My mom is a big Salman Khan fan and she made me watch numerous films. Since I am an only child, I never had any option but to watch movies with her. My favourite of his films is Andaz Apna Apna (1994).
What was it like working with your LoveYatri co-star Aayush?
I think he is very hard working. We started as complete strangers, and me being an introvert, it took us some time to open up and talk. We did our readings together and Abhiraj sir made sure that he provided us with an environment where we would do one hour of reading and two hours of chatting, talking about the film, sharing our ideas, and then we became friends.
Did you watch Bollywood films when you were growing up?
In Afghanistan, everybody is inspired by Bollywood. They follow Hindi films like anything. My grandfather used to rent a VCR and watch Hindi films and follow the fashion trends from the movies he would see.
The love for Bollywood has always been there. I grew up travelling around the world, so I
watched both Hollywood and Bollywood. I have watched Indian television also. I have grown up watching Sonpari and Shararat.
How did you get into acting?
I started with modelling six years back. At that time, modelling was a job for me. I have always been a creative person, but modelling started just as a job. But then looking back, I realised I had given way too much time to modelling. I had come far enough. But since I had no other qualification for any other career, this became my professional journey. Then I decided, why not polish myself and grow in this line only? After that, I started doing commercials and opted for some acting workshops.
How would you describe your life in Mumbai?
It’s tough because modelling has always been my bread and butter, it is my profession. Living alone in Bombay is not easy. You don’t get apartments. There is a lot of struggle.
Then comes the main part – whom to trust? Which audition to go for? Which meeting to avoid? Whom to meet? And every month, you have to make sure you save money from the work you did. But I am not complaining. I would say I am a self-made person. I am proud of what I have achieved today because I have achieved the best and that doesn’t happen every day.
Which are some of your favourite Hindi films and who are you inspired by in Bollywood?
I have a couple of favourite films like Margarita With A Straw (2014), and Gangs Of Wasseypur (2012). I love Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s films because he makes his movies with such perfection, and then there is Zoya Akhtar, who is my favourite. Talking about who I am inspired by, Hindi cinema is an institution in itself. My favourite actresses are Rekhaji and Srideviji. I watch their videos and dance. I try to learn their expressions. I always look back to them for inspiration.
Finally, do you believe in destiny?
Yes, I am here today just because of destiny and better things will be in store in my future. No matter how much I say I was modelling, doing this and doing that, it’s all destiny, it’s all written.
