Reel to real life: Prachi Desai meets Azhar's ex-wife

Prachi Desai, who plays Mohammad Azharuddin's ex-wife in Anthony D'Souza's upcoming biopic, ‘Azhar’, recently met Naureen at her Hyderabad residence as part of her prep for the role. “I'd read the script a couple of times so it was like meeting my alter ego. I've never played a real life character before so I wanted to be sure I got it right,” says the actress, who over coffee and brownies chatted with Naureen for hours.
Before marrying model-turned-actress Sangeeta Bijlani, the former cricketer was married to Naureen for nine years. They had two sons, Asad and Ayaz. “She was just 15 and straight out of school when she had married Azhar, who was a superstar then. They were madly in love before destiny took them down different paths,” says Prachi, adding that despite all the hurdles, Naureen's been dignified about the split and moved on. “My role begins at that age and moves into the early 20s,” informs 27-year-old Prachi.

Interestingly, Naureen is Prachi's fan which made it easy for them to get comfortable and for Naureen to speak her heart out. “I felt we had known each other for years, she's a lovely, warm woman.” Are the two, Azhar and Naureen, still friends? “I have no idea but their son is one of the assistant directors on the sets. He's close to both his parents and it's he who fixed this meeting with his mother for me,” says Prachi.

However, Naureen has never visited the sets or expressed a desire to do so? “She’s a very private person which is why I decided to meet at her home. She shuttles between Dubai and Hyderabad and the next time I am in the City of Nawabs, I will definitely share some Hyderabadi biryani with her,” Prachi chuckles.