Lisa Ray revisits 'Afreen Afreen' on ramp for Rahul Mishra

ACTOR Lisa Ray, who became the show stopper for Rahul Mishra's collection Nargis at the ongoing India Couture Week, says walking the ramp to the tunes of her old hit Afreen Afreen allowed her to embody a new version of herself.

Originally composed and sung by Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan and written by Javed Akhtar, the song made Ray a household name in 1996.

Last year, Ray had shared that she inwardly cringes when she is introduced with the song as she is not the same person she was when the musical number was shot.

But the actor, 52, seemed happy to embrace the song once again as she walked the ramp to its tune for Mishra's show.

"I filmed that video 25 years ago and I was reflecting on that. I was a very different person back then. I was a very young woman, not very confident, not very comfortable in my skin, believe it or not, and today actually gave me a new opportunity to embody a new version of myself, walking to the rhythm of Afreen Afreen and that's deeply profound," the actor said in a post show press conference.

"Someone who has a lot of life experiences under her belt now... The body may have changed but the spirit is the same," she added.

The actor said she was approached by the designer and his wife Divya Mishra for the show while she was on a retreat in Kerala.

"...I was supposed to stay an extra three days and so I cut that short and said, ‘No I have to be there' and I couldn’t think of a better place to be than right here right now. As I already mentioned, I am a great admirer of Rahul and Divya."

The actor, known for her role in films such as Kasoor and Water, also thanked models for pushing her to walk on the ramp as she felt nervous.

"It’s a great honor to walk in the show. There is also something mystical and magical that he (Rahul) manages to achieve through fabrics, craftsmanship and his entire team."

For the show, Ray wore an intricately designed sari gown with miniature floral work all over with its train featuring designs of peacock feathers. (PTI)