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The homecoming

Nagma Click for bigger pic!

Nagma came into her own in Baaghi, but she had been struggling for a long time before that, having battled parental opposition in the bargain.

Actually even Baaghi caught public attention essentially because it was Salman Khan's first release after the blockbuster, Maine Pyaar Kiya.

But soon she realised there was she was putting in more effort than work into Bollywood and decided to check out other options, like South Indian cinema.

And that changed her life -- for Nagma, the second heroine, the cheaper option, was suddenly a superstar in her own right.

After nearly 10 years in the south Indian industry, she is now making a comeback into Hindi cinema in a David Dhawan-Govinda film, Kuwara. In an interview with Syed Firdaus Ashraf, she speaks about her life and future plans.

When and how you decided that you want to be an actress?

Actually, I never wanted to enter the film industry. I wanted to do a business management course abroad. My mother's family is settled abroad and they were very keen that I join a management course. My father Chander Sadanah was a film producer. He has produced films like Chori Mera Naam and Victoria No 203.

Since I was quite good-looking, lots of producers asked me to act in their films. But my father was against the idea since there were no girls from good families in the industry.

So, did he finally relent?

He agreed only when actresses like Manisha and Raveena entered the industry. He then thought that there was no harm if I acted in films since girls from respectable families had already begun coming into films.

So how did you get your first role?

You won't believe that my first film was supposed to be Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikander for Mansoor Khan.

I did a screen test and out of 250 girls I was selected. I was very happy about that. But I didn't do it because it was a two-heroine film. And another problem was that they did not want me to sign any new film after I start shooting for JJWHS. So I dropped the plan.

Then I got a break in Baaghi. I readily agreed since this was Salman's first release after the great success of Maine Pyaar Kiya. It was also a solo heroine film.

There was no going back after it. And I really enjoyed every moment of the film. I had the role of an innocent in the film, and not many people get such good films in their first break. To this day, I feel it was a major achievement for me. People still remember me because of Baaghi. They still remember everything, right from the song Chandni Raat Hai Tu Mere Saath Hai, Kaisa Lagta Hai and Chancal Shoauk Hasina.

What happened to your career after Baaghi? Why didn't you continue in Hindi cinema?

Nagma with Ramgi Click for bigger pic!

After Baaghi, I became very selective. If you compare my roles with that of other new heroines of the time, you will see that they did very glamorous roles.

I wasn't getting the right kind of a role. Meanwhile, I got a Telugu film with a story based on the lines of the Hindi film, Professor.

It was a low budget film and I was offered the character of a tomboy. I thought. 'Let me try it out'. And it became a big hit.

I made it a point that I would not act in any other South Indian film. But it so happened that one of my dad's friends, Malayalam director Fazil, approached me to act in his film. I could not refuse him since he was dad's friend and also because he was a very good director.

It was also around that time that I got a break in a film with Telugu superstar Chiranjeevi, in Karana Maugdu. This film did excellently, and there was no looking back thereafter. Incidentally, the film was also remade in Hindi as Ladla, starring Sridevi and Anil Kapoor.

Why did you give up acting in Hindi films?

No, that's not really true. I was acting in Hindi films side by side with the southern ones. I did K C Bokadia's Police aur Mujrim, in which Vinod Khanna and Raaj Kumar also acted.

I then did Feroz Khan's Yalgaar. It was a bold character.

I purposely did that role because people in the industry used to tell me that I could do such characters. I was angry with those kind of statements. My character in the film was very sweet. It was about a wife who tries to seduce her husband who is preoccupied with his work. I also did a film with Shah Rukh Khan called King Uncle.

Then Juhi Chawla, Vivek Mushran and me did Bewafa Se Wafa. Again, it was a very good role. Success or failure did not matter to me as long as the roles are remembered.

My last film was Suhaag with Akshay Kumar. Ajay Devgan and Karisma Kapoor also starred in the film. The song, Gore Gore Mukhde Pe Kala Kala Chashma was picturised on me.

So why didn't you do more Hindi films?

Actually, I was very busy with Telugu films. So, I had to give 100 per cent of my time there.

I made another mark there by playing a trendsetting character with director Shankar in Kaadhalan, which was a big hit in all the four South Indian languages.

After that, there was no looking back. I then had another film, Muqabla, in which I danced with Prabhu Deva. But still, I kept my links with Bollywood. You know every Bollywood film takes over two years to complete. So it took so many years to complete my Hindi films.

Now you are making a comeback to Hindi films.

Nagma Click for bigger pic!

Yes, it's true that at present I am concentrating on Hindi films. At the same time, I am not cutting off my links with South Indian films. I am doing a Kannada film with Ravichandranji and I have also signed Kuwara, a Hindi film, with David Dhawan.

Besides me, Urmila is also acting in the film. Govinda plays the hero. So, you can say this is my comeback film.

What was it like working in South Indian films?

I really enjoyed working down south: Everyone was more than perfect.

It gave me a lot of satisfaction. As an artist I never had to struggle. For six years I was the number one heroine in the South Indian film industry. But I felt I just could not continue there all my life. Also, you know that no heroine has been successful in Telugu and Tamil at the same time. Either she is successful in Telugu or in Tamil, never in both.

But I was successful in both industries. After I succeeded in Telugu, I moved out and tried Tamil films and disproved my critics by making it big in Tamil cinema too. In the same way, I feel I can still make it big in Hindi cinema.

I have a great deal of mettle, and feel I can still prove it. Though I had no background in the South Indian languages, I picked up the languages there. And today, I know Telugu, Tamil, Kannada and Malayalam.

Since my childhood, I've always been hard and determined.

Why are you taking a break from South Indian films now?

Right now, I needed a break -- I've been working in South Indian films for the last 10 years. I've had no rest at all. And you know in South Indian films, you have to put four times the effort you do in Hindi films. The pressure is on all the time, and a great deal of it at that, till your body becomes like a machine.

So I needed to relax and time to groom myself again. Of course, my parents, my sisters and brother supported me. We are a very close-knit family. But the professional decisions are mine.

I wanted to come to Bombay and do Hindi films. That meant I had to shift my entire base. Also, I think Bombay was very lucky to me because I started my career here.

For the last 10 years, I've been working so hard that I lost all my friends and so many other things. I wondered what I was doing. That's why I needed this break.

Do you feel your career in Hindi films has been affected by your concentrating on South Indian films?

Nagma with Sharath Kumar Click for bigger pic!

Yes, that's true to some extent. When I was concentrating on South Indian films I refused many good roles in Hindi films. One film with Ajay Devgan and one with Chunky Pandey were never completed. In this way, I missed a lot of good roles.

It's only now that I am doing a film with David Dhawan, and I hope this film will be completed soon. I'm happy that my role is different and will be remembered. The film is a family drama. My role is not the usual David Dhawan heroine type. But at this point, I would not like to talk about it.

Your critics say you shifted back to Hindi films because your career down South is on the decline.

No, that's not true. Only my last two films didn't do well. Critics have the right to point out what they want. You always have critics even if you are Amitabh Bachchan. I appreciate and admire them because if they are not there, I won't be able to work better.

I never listen to people who talk good about me. But I listen to people who talk bad about me so that I can improve... As far as my career graph goes, 90 per cent of my films have done well and only five per cent didn't do well. So five out of 100 per cent is not bad. After all, I am also a human being. I am not God to be perfect all the time.

But what went wrong with Mounam and Lovebirds?

I acted with Prabhu Deva in Lovebirds and worked with Apache Indian in the same film. We shot the entire film in London and Scotland. We gave our best. But I don't know what went wrong. Had I known the film would be a flop, I'd have never acted in it.

In Monaum, I think the audience were unwilling to accept me in a role of mother and that too of a nine-year-old child. That could be one of the reasons it failed.

What was it like, dancing with Prabhu Deva?

Dancing with Prabhu Deva was great. I used to practice a lot and, you won't believe me, Prabhu Deva used to rehearse with me almost every time. I was so used to him during practice that I never felt nervous during the actual shooting. In fact, I used to be more confident than Prabhu Deva.

Don't you think if you move away from South Indian films, your place there will be taken over by some other actress?

But that's the way the film industry works. Somebody always replaces some other person.

If I don't want to work, I won't work. I can't please everybody. I have to do what I like.

After all, I too have a life. But I am sure that nobody can take my place in South Indian industry. Probably they can make their own place.

I'm sure people will not easily forget who Nagma is in Telugu and Tamil cinema. I'm proud to say that all the top Telugu and Tamil heroes have told me that.

I will always be remembered. Moreover, I am not completely leaving South Indian films, but just taking a little break. I will definitely work in one or two South Indian films. But my base is going to be Bombay.

Any regrets about leaving Southern cinema?

I have no regrets. Had I left earlier, I would never have got a chance to act here at this time. And it is more challenging now.

Don't you think that Hindi films are saturated with heroines and there is no place for you?

I think if I have confidence in myself, I can prove myself even now. Today, producers and everybody else have become business-minded. They choose heroines only if they have a market. So unless they feel I am worth it, they won't take me. But I am confident that if I get two to three films a year, I can prove myself.

Have you given yourself a time-frame to prove yourself in Hindi films?

No, I haven't given myself a time-frame in Hindi films. I think god has been very kind to give me this break with David Dhawan.

Any plans of getting married?

Nagma with Prabhu Deva Click for bigger pic!

I don't want to think about marriage for at least another five years. I am very confident that I have a face that can work for another 10 years. In this profession, you cannot work hard and be married at the same time. You have to give 100 per cent of yourself to either your relationship or the profession. You have to give up one or the other.

Any regrets after breaking up with actor Sharath Kumar?

No, I don't feel bitter about breaking with Sharath Kumar. He's a very nice person. What we realised after going around is that once we get married, we would have a totally different life. Both of us thought it would not work out.

Two years ago, I was very sure that I would get married. But later, I realised it was not the right time. I thought I would want to get back to the profession. And I never wanted to feel that way. So, I gave it up.

Was it difficult to leave it all behind?

It is never easy to come out of such things...