By Hemisha Morarji.
“Had ‘Bhaji on the Beach’ been rubbish, I wouldn’t have had the inspiration to do this”
The London-born beauty looked sultry in a black maxi dress, with Indian embroidery along the hem. But what makes her more compelling is her vitality. Her enthusiasm during our chat showed through her mega-watt smile and the way her eyes light up after every question. With parts in a string of indie-flicks, her CV is set to get stronger with the upcoming ‘Fantastic Fear of Everything’, starring Brit funny-man Simon Pegg. Our conversation saw her talk about her time as an investment banker and how Bhaji on the Beach inspired her to act….
You star opposite Reece Ritchie in this film. What is he like to work with?
He was so easy to work with. He’s gorgeous! He was so well cast for the role and he really complemented my energy. We have different energies – it’s nice that he’s got a bit and this and I’ve got a bit of that. It’s been a great relationship on-screen. I’m really honoured to work with him.
The director Nigel Cole also directed Calendar Girls. Do you think he’s brought the uplifting fun factor to this film?
Definitely! This is so much fun – from the get go, you’re thrown into the midst of an exciting family. He is a very extraordinary British director. He loves to do character-driven stories, he works with actors well and he encourages different layers of the relationship – those are the films he loves to make and the chemistry between the whole family is what I think makes this film a winner.
You spent two years working as an investment banker…
No! That was misquoted!
Was it?
Yes, it was more than 2 years. It was a year.
Oh right, sorry (laughs). So what made you decide to pursue acting instead?
I’ve always been so passionate about acting, but because I had no friends or family in any related industries, I felt it was never something I could aim for. So I got on with doing something academic and high-flying in the city. But because I was working long hours all day, night and evenings, I didn’t have time to act recreationally. What kept me going through school and university was the fact I could do plays (I did the National Youth Theatre at the Edinburgh Festival). I even chose my university based on the fact it had an outdoor theatre! So I had to face up to that; that I wasn’t happy and I didn’t want to make these corporations ridiculous amounts of money. It just didn’t interest me.
Were your parents supportive?
When I first changed, they were mortified, understandably. Because they were worried about work and that I wouldn’t make a living and have any opportunities – a very unpleasant career. Even if you had a great job one day, it wouldn’t necessarily lead to a great job the next. But now they are so proud and happy.
You’ve said you’d like to write a screenplay one day, so has Meera given you any tips on how to write for the screen or theatre?
You’re very good! You’ve done your research, very thoroughly! Meera has inspired me when I was a kid. I saw her work in TV and film, and I saw her writing and acting. Who knows? I’d like to write with and for Meera and I’d like to act with her again – the opportunity to work with her is so special because she was an inspiration.
And Shaheen Khan, who plays my mother in the film, is also an inspiration. I saw Bhaji on the Beach and Meera wrote that and Shaheen acted in it. I can’t begin to tell you the impact that film had on me. I was a tiny little kid and I didn’t understand it all, but it didn’t matter. I knew it was good work, there was substance in there. Had it been rubbish, I wouldn’t have had the inspiration to do this because I’d think, “Oh Asian writing and acting isn’t good and we don’t quite have it.”
