My father’s Pakistani, mother’s Czech: Nargis Fakhri talks heritage, accidental career in India
The year was 2010 when Bollywood star Nargis Fakhri moved to Mumbai for the role of a lifetime. The model-turned-actor, who was approached by Imtiaz Ali’s team and asked to fly down to India to audition for the Ranbir Kapoor-starrer, Rockstar, didn’t initially have plans to pursue a career in acting.
However, Fakhri, born and raised in New York to a Pakistani father and a Czech mother, didn’t shy away from the challenge and ended up hopping on a flight to the country she had never been to before whilst taking her chances. In a recent interview with UAE-based outlet, Curry Tales, the actor divulges heritage, being an inter-racial kid and how her accidental career in Bollywood came about.
“I don’t know if anyone believes in manifesting, or whether it was kismet,” she said, “But a year or two before that [Rockstar] happened, I was really just talking to god, and asking, ‘Who am I?'” Fakhri furthered that growing up in New York City, she didn’t have any Indian friends.
Her parents, Mohammed Fakhri, and Marie Fakhri, weren’t Indians as well. “I didn’t even have Czech friends, you know. So, I didn’t know what my heritage was. “My dad, he’s from Pakistan, he passed away. My mum’s from the Czech Republic and they met in New York City. So, I’m very American, very New York. But, now. I’d say very global because I’ve travelled a lot.”
She went on, “When you’re a mixed child, you’re not really Indian enough and you’re not Czech enough. You’re always lost. You’re in between this limbo-land. But at the same time, you’re very curious to know about yourself.”
Following her debut, Fakhri featured in several Bollywood films, including Madras Cafe (2013) alongside John Abraham, a political thriller that earned her praise for her performance. She also appeared in movies like Main Tera Hero (2014), Spy (2015), and Azhar (2016).
