Vida Samadzai: The Runway heroine

“I did not have to act in scenes which required me to run for cover because of an aerial attack or a bomb scare. I grew up under these circumstances in Afghanistan. Blackouts were common and bomb scares were normal for us.”

It is a natural correlation if I tell you that this is a quote of Vida Samadzai, former Miss Afghanistan who is currently trying to get a foothold in Hindi movies. It is normal to get used to bomb scares in the war and conflict-ridden country.

However, if you see a video clip of the function announcing the completion of her latest Hindi film Runway, you would find it difficult to believe that you were listening to Miss Afghanistan. A revealing outfit that just about managed to cover the bare necessities and a thick American accent — it was very difficult to digest the fact that one was speaking to a lady from the land of Talibans.

But that is what defines Vida — expect the unexpected. A brave girl who is extremely confident and can carry herself well in every situation. But what made her decide on Bollywood? “I have been watching Hindi movies right from my childhood. In fact, even during the Taliban regime when a lot of movies were banned we used to clandestinely gather at a friend’s place and watch these movies. When I decided to make a career in showbiz, Bollywood was the obvious choice,” says the tall and sensuous beauty queen.

Was it difficult to enter an industry where having a godfather is very important? “My ideas are very clear on this and I can proudly say that whatever films I have got on hand today are solely due to my hard work and talent. I have never compromised and never will. I don’t believe a Sugar Daddy can take you very far. He can give you a break or two, but beyond that it is just your talent and hard work that matters,” says the strong-willed actress.

Was she always interested in acting? How did she prepare herself for facing the camera? “I was always interested in acting and decided to take it up seriously after winning the beauty paegeant. The challenge I faced then and am still facing is with the language. While I can understand Hindi very well, when it comes to speaking I am not that confident. I speak Hindi with an accent and am aware of it. I am taking special classes to learn Hindi. However, because of my hectic traveling schedules my teachers are finding it difficult to maintain continuity. I am trying to make up for my missed classes by speaking to people in Hindi to the extent possible,” says Vida with a smile on her face. The beauty-queen-turned-actress speaks five languages — Parsi, Phustu, Urdu, Hindi and English.

Vida was first seen in Mukta Arts’ Black and White as a runaway Afghan girl. “It was a fantastic experience working with legends like Subhash Ghai and Anil Kapoor. Though I had a very small role, I learned a lot from Mr Ghai. And Anil is such a thorough gentleman. He always used to talk about his family during breaks,” remember Vida whose second movie Dhoom Dharaka didn’t create too much of a ripple in the Box Office. “In Dhoom Dharaka I played myself. In fact it is a guest role and it was fun working with this unit.”

Vida has a lot of expectations from her new film — Runway. “It was a lot of hard work and I have a very significant role there. I hope people will accept me well in this movie!” says Vida who dreams of working with famous directors like Sanjay Leela Bhansali, Rakesh Roshan and Subhash Ghai.

Any preference for actors? “Yes of course! I would love to act with Hrithik Roshan. He is so tall and handsome! But that does not mean I would not like to work with other actors — I would be obliged if I get a chance to work with personalities like Salman Khan and Shahrukh Khan. It would be like my dream come true,” says the pretty face. “I also like Amitabh Bachchan and Sri Devi a lot. I think both of them are amazingly creative.”

Srabanti Chakrabarty. -(SAMPURN)

Categories: Bollywood News and Gossip
Runway, Vida Samadzai