Most people think that is it easy for people, who are related to industry insiders, to get an upstart in Bollywood. Actress Nazia Hussain, who is a close relative of Sanjay Dutt, does not believe so. The actress had a fairly tough journey in films and she has been on this journey on her own and has never used her celebrated uncle’s name to get work. In this interview, she talks about her new film ‘Teri Bhabhi Hai Pagle’, her memories of her ‘chachu’ Sanjay Dutt, learning the ropes of comedy from her more-experienced co-actors, her six-year old journey as an actor and upcoming films.
Are you the ‘bhabhi’ in the title of the film ‘Teri Bhabhi Hai Pagle’? Is the line directed at you?
Yes, it is, in a way, directed at me. In the film, a bunch of people are making a film and I am playing the role of an actress. Rajniesh is playing a struggling actor, Krishna is the hero of the film that is being made and Mukul Dev is the financer. Rajniesh’s character and the character I play are secretly having an affair. Krishna and Mukul’s characters, who are oblivious to this fact, keep trying to get close to me. So, all this while Rajniesh is saying in his head ‘teri bhabhi hai pagle’. Krishna and Mukul’s characters, too, scream this line in their heads when they see the other person making a pass at me.
Sanjay Dutt is a relative of yours. Did you watch ‘Sanju’?
No, I will be watching it tonight with my dad. ‘Sanju’ released at a time when we started promoting our film, so it was really to make time to watch it. But, I have been finally been able to book my tickets and I will be watching it tonight with my dad.
What have been your memories of him?
I call him chachu. I remember he would come to our home during Eid, Diwali and other festivals. I did not know him as Sanjay Dutt, the actor, when I was a child. Back then, I used to be very frightened of him as he had this huge larger-than-life personality. He was very tall and had long hair. I do visit him and his family once in a family. For me, he is my uncle and not a film star.
You had also done a film for his production house called ‘Hasmukh Pighal Gaya’ a long time back. What is the status on that film?
Yes, I did shoot for that film. The film was shot and completed almost five years back. Armaan Ralhan, who later did ‘Befikre’, was paired opposite me. We had cameos by chachu, Amitabh Bachchan sir, Jackie (Shroff) da and a lot of other actors. Unfortunately, that was the time he was incarcerated again and had to go to jail. It was a good film but I am afraid people will never get to see it.
One has seen you only in a handful of films. Why?
I have had three releases so far. I debuted in a film called ‘Say Yes To Love’ in 2012. In the same year, my second film ‘Yeh Jo Mohabbat Hai’ released. I shot for ‘Hasmukh Pighal Gaya’ which was supposed to be my third film. I did South Indian films after that, one of which was a remake of ‘Aashiqui 2’. I did another film called ‘Kalwa Aur Kirayedaar’. It is complete but has not released yet. I was cast in ‘Tom Dick and Harry Returns’. We shot for two weeks but after that the film was shelved. ‘Teri Bhabhi Hai Pagle’ is actually the eighth film I have shot for. I have actually done a lot of work but unfortunately, very little of it has been seen by people.
Did the fact that you are related to Sanjay Dutt help you to make inroads into the industry?
I never took his help or used his name to further my career. I have done everything on my own. I did what I felt was right for me and my career. If you want to become a dentist, having a dentist as your uncle would not be of any help. You will get a job on your own merit. If I had not struggled and come up the hard way, I would not have valued my work. Whatever little I have achieved, I have achieved it on my own. There is always a certain pride when you have done something on your own without seeking anybody’s help.
This is the first time you have attempted comedy. You also got to work with actors like Krushna Abhishek, Rajniesh Duggal and Mukul Dev who are much more experience than you are. How was the experience of working with them?
I had a blast. It is an absolute pleasure to be working with people who are more experienced as there is always something that you can learn from them. I have seen them improvise and do a lot of other interesting things that helps in accentuating one’s performance They take the written material to another level with their performance. I learnt to be free and spontaneous from them.
Will we get to see you doing a lot of comedy in the film?
Yes, I have done fair share of comedy in the film. Actresses are always portrayed in a certain way But, they are just like normal people. I have tried to portray her in a similar way. The character is very close to what I am in real life, bubbly and happy. I also improvised like my co-actors and added a few lines here and there.
The digital medium is growing in a big way. Would you like to do something on it?
I am a greedy actor. I want to try my hand at everything. I have already done regional cinema apart from doing Hindi films. I am open to do shows, films, theatre – absolutely everything.
What are you doing next?
I have completed another film called ‘Mushkil’ directed by Rajiv Ruia. I am paired opposite Kunaal Roy Kapur in that film. I am gearing up to shoot for a psychological thriller called ‘Paash’ which is being directed by Santosh Shukla.