Getting to know Onjolee Nair

Excerpts from the Interview:

You're making your debut with 'Holiday'. Was acting your aspiration from the very start?

Not actually. I was more interested to have a career in dancing. I am a formally trained dancer and know varied styles of dancing. I was a dance teacher previously.

Then why did you sign the film 'Holiday'?

That is because the film needed an actress who could learn authentic Latin-American dancing. I wanted to grab the opportunity and take the test. So when I got the offer of the film my excitement knew no bounds. In the film we go to do some terrific and dare steps and we had to go on and on. But I took it as a challenge and always said the choreographer to do things more than ordinary.

Tell us something more about your character.

My character in the film is called Muskaan. I play the role of a 19-year-old college girl. I'm very introvert owing to lack of confidence in myself because my near and dear ones have never praised me in anything. Along with my family I go to Goa for a holiday. There I come across dance instructor Dino, a salsa dancer in the hotel we've boarded. He is a complete stranger for me but soon we start getting acquainted. He tries to infuse in me confidence and express myself through the medium of dance. He tries to reboot the innate qualities in me. He makes me realize that I may not be good in studies but I'm a very good dancer. My whole individuality changes after I get associated with him, with his support and praise.

Yes it is a romantic story and in the process of learning and giving we fall in love with each other. But it is not an instant likeness that leads to love. They first become friend and the bond of affection between them later turns to love. It's interesting to see a love story between a Latino dancer and an introvert spectacled girl.

How did you feel working under Pooja Bhatt?

She is a disciplinarian, this is the first thing that comes to my mind when I think of her. She was a taskmaster on the sets but that was the only way to get work out of us. Working in Goa is really tough because all the time you feel that you're on a holiday. So she had to tune us all the time motivating us to work. She was very understanding.

And how was your co-star Dino?

He is a real kid and a brat too. He always was in the mood of partying and would easily search for ways to get off. The cast and crew treated me so well that the film is a memorable experience now.

How did you feel replacing Smiley for the role?

It was not an unfair decision if you the role in mind. Pooja had the reins of everything in her hand and she had to make a call. Smiley got another film and she was doing it. But she went ahead talking about it like a kid. Here someone's loss is other's gain and it goes on this way. It was my fate to be a part of the film.

I'm a practical and levelheaded person. I know that I don't fit the bill of a Bollywood actress just like that. And that is a setback for me. For this film I've chosen to stay absolutely the way I'm. So I don't know if anybody else will be interested in me after this. But keeping a note on how the film industry is shaping up, I think that I'll have my share of fame here too.

So have you signed any other film?

Not yet.