Anya Singh: Many people had told me that only dumb people become actors

YRF’s latest movie ‘Qaidi Band’ is all set to release this Friday. The movie marks the debut of Raj Kapoor’s grandson Aadar Jain and Anya Singh. While Aadar Jain belongs to a filmy family, Anya Singh comes from a non-film background. Not much is known about her growing up years and how she got into movies.

So in a recent interview, the actress got candid about her dreams and aspirations as a kid, what shaped her decision to pursue acting and how she was warned by some people that acting is only meant for dumb people. Says Anya, “While growing up like any other child, I wanted to become an astronaut. My best friends knew Kalpana Chawla so I had a chance to talk to her. So, I think from there for years I wanted to be an astronaut because I had spoken to this lady and I was like ‘I want to be like her’ and unfortunately she passed away then. But, I wanted to do a lot of different things. When I was very young, the first Hindi movie I had watched onscreen was ‘Dil Toh Pagal Hai’ and I was too young to understand what is happening. But, the song and dance was something that I really enjoyed and that’s something that always stuck with me.” (Also Watch: ‘Qaidi Band’ trailer: This one looks like a promising debut for Aadar and Anya)

She adds, “I was in Chandigarh till class five, then I moved to Delhi. And after that I went to Mayo which is a boarding school in Ajmer. So, in a boarding school you don’t watch movies but you are given like a walkman or a discman which are given to you on a weekend. So the weekend for me was a really exciting time because I had my music with me. And I’m a big Hindi music fan, like I love Hindi music. So that connect was always with me. Then of course, I performed a lot on stage. I did drama, dance so I really enjoyed it. But for the longest time I didn’t have the guts to actually say that I wanted to become an actor. A lot of people would say, you know only dumb people become actors, you know only dumb people become models. It’s a generalised thought that people have that when you are an actor or a model, you are dumb. Because kuch nahi kar paye isliye you are here, which is completely wrong. Because you have to see the amount of people who try and come to this place. So that was one, secondly of course I know my family is very far from this profession. Finally, I told my friends because they were the closest to me. And they said, ‘No, you must tell your parents’.”

She goes on saying, “So, I told them and they said, ‘No’. My nana is from army, my dad is a doctor, my mother has a corporate job, my nani is a principal. They were like what were you thinking. But, my mother thought it’s a passing phase as they thought that many people want to become actors because it looks so glamorous, so enticing to be onscreen. I tried very hard to suppress it. I was like, ‘No do something else’. So I worked as a wedding planner, there also there was so much Hindi music. Then I realised I’m not able to suppress it, so I went and told my mom, ‘Mama, you know I’ve tried very hard. I have finished my education, please give me this one year and let me do what I want to do.’ So she said, ‘I will give you one year. If in that one year you can achieve what you want to achieve, well and good, if you can’t, don’t treat it as a failure, treat it as a learning experience.’ So, she gave me a year, so I moved in December 2015 and 6th of July 2016 is when I got the film.”

‘Qaidi Band’ is written and directed by Habib Faisal and will be releasing on August 25, 2017.

Prajakta Ajgaonkar

Passionate about writing, and a Bollywood lover, she is all that is sweet and endearing! She desires to put her best foot forward in everything that she does and loves to help anyone who’s in need.