Actress Nargis Fakhri, who made her debut with Imtiaz Ali’s iconic film Rockstar, has spoken about her initial days in the industry and how she dealt with dating rumours and fame. In an interview with Siddharth Kannan, she spoke about being linked with actors Ranbir Kapoor and Shahid Kapoor. While Ranbir was her co-star in Rockstar, Nargis and Shahid appeared in the song Dhating Naach from Phata Poster Nikhla Hero [2013]. When asked about rumours that claimed that she was dating her co-stars, Nargis said, “It used to drive me insane. One time there was an article that said I moved into Shahid Kapoor’s apartment. I wish I had saved these articles…and that my mom came down to visit and meet him. And I had people messaging, ‘Oh, your mom is in town?’ What the hell, my mom never even came here. So, I had to get used to all of that.”

Recounting another incident, Nargis Fakhri said, “A reporter came up to me and said, ‘Oh, how does it feel to be enjoying the B-town stars’ and she said it in a way like she was insinuating something. They were writing so many stories about different people. I don’t even know anyone yet. I just told her, ‘Well, I am waiting for you to turn me into a lesbian’ and that was the headline; I got into trouble. I was being sarcastic. But her face dropped and she walked away,” referring to the reporter, and added, “Those were interesting times.”

Nargis Fakhri also spoke about being stressed by the fame that came her way post-Rockstar. “The fame was very weird. I was so stressed I didn’t know my shoulders were touching my ears…My body was so stressed out but I was trying to go through life. It was such a big movie,” adding that she didn’t know what a big movie she landed or the impact of Ranbir Kapoor – her first co-star– as an actor. “I didn’t know anything; I was very naive.”

In another recent interview with Instant Bollywood, Nargis Fakhri said that the only thing she knew about India before her film debut was that she loved the cuisine. Explaining that she had not seen Indian films before Rockstar, she said: “The only thing I knew about India is that I loved ras malai and I loved Indian food. That is all I could remember or relate to. Obviously, there is so much more to the culture.”

About keeping in touch with the team of the film, Nargis Fakhri added, “I wish people ‘happy birthday’, say hello but everyone is very busy. People have families, I am travelling all over the world all the time. So, I think in this industry it is hard to keep in touch the way you would like to because everyone is on the move. But I think you make a friendship where no matter when you meet again, it is like nothing…and you can start from where you left off. 

Nargis Fakhri is known for her work in films such as Madras Cafe, Main Tera Hero, Azhar, and Housefull 3. She will be seen next in the web series Tatlubaaz.