Daughter of Pakistani man, whom an e-mail accidentally made film star, gave many hits, suddenly left Bollywood when...

Every year, thousands of aspiring actors head to Mumbai to try their luck in Bollywood. Of them, only a few hundred manage to get any gig at all. Fewer still get meaty roles and only a handful get success. With a growing number of strugglers in Bollywood, the success rate is getting smaller each year. But every once in a while, there is a success story of a star that wasn’t even trying. Such is the case with this one actress who became an overnight star even though she wanted to stay away from films.

The actress who became an accidental Bollywood star

Nargis Fakhri was born to a Paksitani father and a Czech mother. She grew up in Queens in USA away from any influence of Indian films in the 80s and 90s. At the age of 16, she started modelling, even appearing on America’s Next Top Model in 2004. She was first noticed in India after appearing in the Kingfisher Calendar in 2009. While she did not want to get into films, an e-mail for a casting call changed that. Nargis eventually auditioned for the role, which turned out to be Heer from Rockstar. The film worked and made Nargis an overnight star.

Nargis Fakhri

Nargis’ Bollywood career and eventual break

After the success of Rockstar, Nargis worked in a number of other successful films, including Madras Cafe, Main Tera Hero, Azhar, and Housefull 3. She also did special dance numbers in films like Dishoom and Kick, which further increased her popularity. However, Nargis has said that she did not enjoy that fame and the pressures that came with it. In a recent interview with Masala, Nargis recalled, “I’d worked every single day for eight years and I hardly got to be with my family. I felt unwell due to stress. Consequently, I developed health issues. Was I depressed? I guess you can use the word. I was unhappy in my situation and was questioning myself as to why I was still there.” Eventually, Nargis took a two-year break from films around 2020.

Nargis Fakhri’s Bollywood comeback

In 2023, the actress returned to Hindi films with a supporting role in Shiv Shastri Balboa. Following this, she signed the mega-budget period drama Hari Hara Veera Mallu opposite Pawan Kalyan. The film will mark her Telugu language debut and is slated to release later this year.

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