Azhar is a new space for me to explore: Nargis Fakhri

Says Nargis Fakhri, admitting that some will star Sangeeta Bijlani, whom she plays in the Azhar biopic.

Mohammed Azharuddin has finally found his Sangeeta Bijlani, in reel life. The biopic, with Emraan Hashmi playing the cricketer, has been hunting for a suitable actress to play his second biwi for months and has now got the thumbs up from Nargis Fakhri. "I'm intrigued by the story, both excited and nervous. Azhar is a new space for me to explore, a new challenge for me," Nargis told Mirror.

Speculations have been rife for a while now about her being approached for the role when in Los Angeles. What took her so long to give the nod? "Unless I'm on board and confirmed for a project, I don't talk about it," she pointed out.

"Neither do I consider anything to be a solid manifestation. But I have to say that when I heard the narration, I was definitely interested."

Right now, she's focusing on workshops. She's not sure if any meetings have been planned by her producers with Azhar or Sangeeta. "I definitely have to do my own research. For now I have a coach who will help me with what is necessary for this particular role," she reasoned.

Having been born and brought up abroad, has she seen any of Bijli's films, like Tridev, Hathyar and Jurm? "It's funny you should ask this as I have a few films in my bag right now," she admitted. "I'll be spending the next few evenings on the couch watching a long list of films, some that she's a part of."

When prodded on whether it's a proper role or just a cameo, she laughed, "Where I come from, there is no such thing as a cameo. Every character plays an integral part and contributes to the film. I'll let you all speculate for now. You will know the answer once you watch the film."

The role got the thumbs down from other actresses like Kareena Kapoor and Jacqueline Fernandez. Did that give her second thoughts? "If I like something I say yes, if I don't I say no," she stated simply. "It makes life easy when you trust yourself with your decisions and not worry about what others are doing. I'm very pleased to be a part of this film."

Emraan Hashmi's last few films haven't done well commercially. Does that make her apprehensive? Nargis has the last laugh: "In that case, he is due for a hit and hopefully this will be it!"