Every woman should help spread awareness, says Nargis Fakhri

Actor Nargis Fakhri who made her debut with actor Ranbir Kapoor in Imtiaz Ali’s Rockstar, is still getting used to being in Bollywood. The actor, who took off to New York to spend time with her mother after the release of her debut film, is back in the city. And in the two months that she was there, she couldn’t wait to get back to Bollywood and Mumbai. “Everything was absolutely new for me. The adulation was overwhelming and I wasn’t prepared for it. It took a lot of time to adjust to it,” she says. With the adulation, came criticism galore. “I am very happy with criticism. I am perfectly okay with it because it has helped me to better myself,” says the Bolly hottie, adding, ‘Bring it on!’

The most surprising part about her journey in Bollywood, however, has been the link-up with her co-star Ranbir. “In the beginning, I would laugh it off but it got annoying as it progressed. Throughout my life, most of my friends have been guys. I didn’t really get what the big deal about hanging out with Ranbir was all about. Now, I have learned to accept it and ignore it,” says Nargis.  So, did it affect her equation with him? “Not at all,” she shoots back. “He has been one of the first few friends I made in Mumbai. Imtiaz and he made sure I was taken care of when I landed in the city and kept me safe. Though I don’t see him too often as he is busy with his projects, he will always be special.”

Besides her link-up of course, the other thing that’s most spoken of were her lips. “If it wasn’t my lips, it would have been my boobs or my butt,” she casually brushes it off aside. “People obsess about something or the other and it was kind of funny. I mean, what else could I have done anyway? I was like, whatever!” she adds.

I am really big on charity and social causes because I strongly believe in giving back to the society. I am of the opinion that awareness and education are very important in today’s time, especially for women. Education helps raise awareness about a lot of issues that people otherwise wouldn’t know. It helps us evolve, progress and is the only we can move forward. Issues like cervical cancer have to be promoted in our country where there isn’t much awareness about it. I remember how cervical cancer was being supported a couple of years back in US in a huge way, when I was living there. Also, there really is no particular age that it affects women, so everyone has to know about the symptoms, causes and the treatment. Besides these causes, raising an awareness on safety for women in a city like Mumbai is a great initiative by DNA. I am a single girl, living all by myself in the city and thankfully, by the grace of God, no untoward incident has happened with me till date. I have taken a rickshaw at 2 am in the night, but I know how it can be otherwise. Every woman, be it a parent, teacher, girl or an adult should be aware of these things and spread awareness on how to be safe in the city.