She lights up the room with both her personality and her looks; speaks flawless English, is smart and charming. Aparna Nayr is a complete package. She started out as a model in Dubai, then went into advertising, doing a lot of dubbing and commercial work in ad films and television in the Middle East, where she gained her experience and skills as an actor.
Taking a break from the photo studios and commercials, the model-turned-actress hits the big screen alongside Shahid Kapoor in the latest Bollywood movie, Bloody Daddy, so we’d better get used to hearing her name.
Aparna tells us about her experience working in her Bollywood debut with a big star cast, her love for sports, fitness routine and more.
Your first acting job lands you in a major blockbuster with one of Bollywood’s biggest stars, how did that come about?
I landed the role through an audition. I was in Egypt shooting something and I was told by my agent to look as close to an Indian bride as possible. I was asked to wear Indian jewellery and outfit and look like a bride. But I didn’t have any clothes with me and I couldn’t get it in Egypt. So, I had to come back to Dubai and take the audition. After the aution, for almost two weeks I didn’t hear from them. Then one fine day was called for a look test. At the end of the day they said, ‘We will see you tomorrow at 5 am’. And I was not sure whether I am in or not,” recollects Aparna.
I was taking it one day at a time so it was less overwhelming . But there were moments when it was overwhelming but I hadfun and tried not to think too much about the outcome and focused just the experience while I was there.
Tell us about your character in the film.
I’m playing a bride in the movie, who wants to have an Indian wedding in Gurugram. The whole story unfolds in one night, in the hotel where I’m getting married. It was a mosh-pit of madness, and my wedding is the backdrop for this crazy adventure.
What was it like working with someone like Shahid Kapoor?
He is very cool, very intuitive. The one scene where we were in a dinner scene. It was a really good, intense, and crazy scene, and I was just watching Shahid perform as we were in it together. I told him he looks like a psychopath, and that it is a compliment. He gets mauled a lot in the film and there is a lot of action and violence. And that’s how he gets the title ‘Bloody Daddy’.
How did you prepare for the role?
I didn’t attend any classes. I didn’t learn any stunts to play the character. My script was in Hindi and English and rehearsed my line. That’s it.
You have featured in two music videos. How different was it shooting for the movie?
I did one with Hommie Dilliwala and Yo Yo Honey Singh in Kaana Vich Waliya. In the movie, I’m in the song with Badshah, which we shot almost two years ago. That was my first experience. I shot for the music video this year but the audience got to watch it before. The experience is very different with the two. The music video is more aesthetic and had romantic songs. In a movie there are a lot of characters and action; so a lot of prep goes into that.
How do you keep fit? Is there any special diet that you follow?
I’m a big fan of sports; specifically martial arts. I’m trained in karate, and was the captain of my school cricket team. I’m a trained boxer. But the irony is that I’m in an action movie without doing any action. I would love to do action in an action movie. However, I don’t have any fitness routine. It tried to stay active as possible and sometimes I drag myself to do home workouts with weights. But I have very less attention span. But I do workout for at least 4 or 5 days a week.
But the irony is that I’m in an action movie without doing any action. I would love to do action in an action movie.
Is there any special diet that you follow?
I love food but I try to eat as clean as possible. I’m a Pescetarianism. I avoid meat as much as possible but while I’m travelling, I sometimes end up breaking the rule.
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Do you have beauty regimen?
I live in Dubai where we have very extreme temperatures. I try to avoid going out in the sun as it can damage the skin during summer. I used to have acne as a teenager, and that has made me a skincare nerd. I research when something new comes out just to understand different things. My routine is quite basic – I don’t sleep with the makeup on, and wear SPF and a good moisturizer religiously. I handle my skin gently without rubbing too much, especially since we do a lot of makeup when we are on camera. This can be overwhelming for the skin. So, I try not to wear makeup and follow a good skincare.