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Born on June 13 (she won’t reveal the year), Antara is a college dropout, who if her father had his way, would have become an IAS officer. But she had a better idea — joining Bollywood. Few people know that her debut movie was not Mast but Dhoondte Reh Jaaoge, a small-budget film which sank without a trace. To her dismay, her second film Dum Dum Diga Diga was shelved and her next break only came after a long wait with a Telugu film called Prem Katha, which did an average business. Then a miracle happened and Ram Gopal Verma (famous for resurrecting careers) offered her a small, but significant role in Mast. It was a small role but a second coming for the daughter of ace-photographer Jagdish Mali. There were offers from big banners for supporting roles, from television and also from stage. But she wanted to wait for her turn. "Unfortunately, after the release of Mast the only offers that came my way were of second leads. All of them wanted me to play the silent friend who loves the hero but is never loved in return. It was a little irritating and I was not ready to get into the stereotype. But, I was optimistic", says Antara who always wanted to be an actress. When it comes to looks, she is certainly not a Aishwarya Rai or a Madhuri Dixit but her next-door-girl looks have not stopped her from achieving stardom in competitive Bollywood. No small thanks to Ram Gopal Verma and her skimpy clothes, both of whom combined to make Antara Mali the most talked about woman in the film industry. But as the popular belief in the industry goes.... out of sight is usually out of mind for both, the janata and the trade. Whenever she is back, she has definitely lots to show, tell and prove. Her look and clothes in Company and Road. reminded everyone of Urmila, whose footsteps Antara is said to be following in. "I fail to understand the comparison, because Urmila and I are such different actresses." Point taken Ms Mali. But how can the media ignore the fact that both got a break from Verma Corp and both are on his list of the favourite actresses. Now with her recent release Naach a Verma venture opposite junior Bachhan, in which she has done some steamy scenes, its hard for viewers not to remember Urmila in Rangeela. "I really don’t know what the fuss is all about. Rangeela and Naach are two completely different movies with different themes. I have learnt to use my body to advantage. It forms the crux of a performance. Most people associate histrionics with facial expressions, but that is wrong. When role is read out to me, the first thing I think of is how I’ll alter my body lingo." She adds, "I’m five feet two inches tall. But I’m so confident about the way I use my body, that I stand tall. Since I’m in the beauty business, I make sure I keep my body beautiful. But otherwise I think one mustn’t make much ado about the body and clothes. Mature beyond her years, spontaneous, extremely hard working and sensitive, Antara is slowly but steadily climbing the ladder of success with her natural and powerful acting. — MF |
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REMEMBER
the bubbly, Nisha from the chocolate boy Aftab Shivdasani’s
debutante movie Mast. In spite of working in more than half a
dozen films in the industry Antara Mali’s magic has not worked on
the audience. She is yet to establish herself in the industry. But if Mast
did wonders for Aftab, Antara did not go unnoticed.