Interview: Jiah Khan
By: Ashika Sengupta
They say you are only as good as the company you keep. In Bollywood, such a saying is personified through Akshay Kumar. After all, several actresses who kept his company in the prime of their respective careers have found cinematic success both on and off the screen. Just look at the track records – Deepika Padukone, Kareena Kapoor, Katrina Kaif, Priyanka Chopra, Shilpa Shetty, Raveena Tandon and Karisma Kapoor have discovered rather high levels of stardom by associating with Akshay.
This week, when the highly anticipated flick Housefull hits screens around the world, actress Jiah Khan hopes her association with Akshay will result in the same level of success as those before her.
“Well yes, it’s a fact that Akshay Kumar has been a lucky mascot for a lot of actresses over so many years,” Jiah told reporters this week about the excitement of working with the popular actor and what it may mean to the development of her career. “However, personally, I do believe that everything is not in my hands. I am a very spiritual and religious person, and so far have believed that God has aided in my journey. It is He who would decide how my journey is going to be in the film industry.”
It is a journey that is just beginning and a journey that is off to a blazing start, considering how Jiah has been pitted opposite some of the biggest names in Bollywood, including debuting alongside Amitabh Bachchan in 2007’s Nishabd before working with Aamir Khan in Ghajini the following year.
Now, Jiah finds herself batting a thousand in landing a significant role opposite Akshay in one of the most anticipated Bollywood movies of the spring.
“Of course Housefull is a great prospect for me as well. Akshay is such a huge star, and I am one of his leading ladies in the film,” the actress told reporters in London. “Still, the thought of my career seeing a great push after the release of the film is a little scary. If Housefull brings me good work, then that would indeed be great. But then I would rather wait for that to happen before making any tall claims.”
Interesting how Jiah is trying to avoid making “tall claims” when she could instead be pointing out how her virtually immediate success in Bollywood was nothing short of a “tall order.”
Yet, at 22, the Indo-Brit actress who was born to an Indian-American father and a Hindi film star mother feels grateful for what she has already accomplished and believes she has a solid foundation to build a successful acting career.
“When I look back at the years gone by, I feel I have been truly blessed. To have Big B, Aamir, and Akshay as your co-stars in the first three films is something that most actors can only dream of,” Jiah humbly told reporters. “Akshay has been such a fantastic human being. Whether he is an action hero or a comedian or a serious character or a romantic guy, he is just so superb. I have learned so much from him, as well as Aamir and Amitabh Bachchan during all these years.”
Jiah facetiously told reporters the one thing Big B and Aamir did not teach her was how to maintain her nerves on a set filled with so many A-listers. After all, Housefull features several veteran Bollywood actors, such as Akshay, Deepika, Lara Dutta, Riteish Deshmukh, Boman Irani, Arjun Rampal, Randhir Kapoor and Chunky Pandey.
Jiah sheepishly told the press she had a hard time maintaining her composure.
“I was really so nervous. Akshay is such a huge star, Riteish has a standing of himself in the industry, while Deepika, Lara and others have made a good impact in the industry as well. I have admired them all and I was wondering if I would be able to jell well with them,” she confessed. “However, all credit to them that they never allowed me to feel aloof or cut off. They were all so mature and professional and loved me to be around them.”
Hopefully producers, directors and other actors will equally enjoy being around her, as Jiah tries to capitalize on her career’s promising start.
Whether her association with Akshay results in a blossoming career similar to those before her remains to be seen, but in the meantime, all she can hope is for audiences to be mesmerized by her performance in this week’s release of Housefull, which hits theaters on April 30th.
