British Asian actress, Ferena Wazeir is beginning to develop a name for herself with a three-movie deal with a big studio in Bollywood. Ferena, who grew up in Glasgow, says of her past, “I started out in theatre in Britain and I studied at RADA, but there aren’t many parts for girls who are Asian, but very fair-skinned, like me.”
As luck would have it, whilst traveling in India, Wazeir visited a camel fair in Rajasthan and was spotted by a photographer. Very soon, she was appearing in a number of campaigns before breaking into the movie business, “I recently had the honour to play Mumtaz Mahal – the woman who inspired the Taj Mahal,” she says. She is also multi-talented, having recently taken control behind the other side of the camera when making a documentary on the Masai tribe of Kenya.
Which actors inspire Ferena the most? “Aamir Khan really inspires me due to his commitment, work and dialogue delivery,” she replies, “He seems to be very rational; Saif Ali Khan….he was great in Omkara. In fact, each one is good in their own way and, as a new comer, I think I can learn a lot from their experiences and get inspired from what is best in each of them.”
And what does she think of Mumbai? “I love this place and its pace. I have declined offers from the West just to be in India and work here in India. And I have made Mumbai my home now!”
And Mumbai too is beginning to warm to Ferena!
