“If not an actress, I would have lived in a jungle and just chilled out”- Nidhhi Agerwal

By Satish Sundaresan -

July 21, 2017 - 4:06 PM IST

This week sees the release of the much awaited Munna Michael. Making her dream debut with this film is its lead actress Niddhi Agerwal. She is hot, she is beautiful and she is extremely talented. She hails from the land of Bengaluru, which has given Bollywood many of its today’s superstars like Anushka Sharma, Lara Dutta and Deepika Padukone.

“If not an actress, I would have lived in a jungle and just chilled out”- Nidhhi Agerwal

Satish Sundaresan of Bollywood Hungama met up with the hot and gorgeous debutante Nidhhi Agerwal for an exclusive chat. Here are the excerpts:

Nidhhi, to start with, how was your audition for Munna Michael?
The audition was very tough because we had 4 rounds of audition. One was dancing other one was acting, one was a meeting and then I was supposed to send a tape of a dance and scene of my performance.

What was your first reaction when you got to know that you have bagged the film?
I was very happy. The moment I got to know that I bagged the film, I knew that I had to work a lot and also train very hard.

Was Bollywood always your forte or it happened by chance?
To tell you the fact, I always wanted to be an actor. The fact also remained that coming from nowhere; it was not a very realistic option to be an actress.

If Bollywood did not happen to you what would have been your next option?
To live in a jungle and just chill! And, I am not kidding on that one (smiles)

With superstar names like Anushka Sharma and Deepika Padukone ruling the roost in Bollywood, do you think that it’s the ‘Bengaluru effect’ which makes for superstars in in the industry?
If that's true, then it will be a huge plus for me (laughs heartily)

Sara Ali khan and Jhanvi Kapoor are launching this year so do you feel any competition as they are star kids. So how are your dealing with it?
Since I cannot control anything else besides myself, the only thing that I do is totally work on myself and bring that extra something to the table which nobody else brings. And once I am able to do that, I do not see any reason why I should not get a particular project.

What, according to you, is that extra something or the ‘X’ factor which you will bring to the table?
It's the amount of hard work, getting ready to put in as the entire focus of my life is to concentrate on Bollywood. The only thing that I have is my work, for which I am ready to give my 2000 per cent.

Munna Michael is a film that relies heavily on dance. In what way do you think this film will be different from all dance films we've seen before?
The film is essentially about 3 people, of which nobody is bad. You will like all the three people in the film. The chemistry that prevails between the three characters is extremely superb. Even the emotional quotient is very high. Genuinely, it's an extremely beautiful script.

The whole world is aware of Tiger Shroff's dancing skills, what kind of training you took to match him?
I have been a trained ballet dancer. I have learnt ballet for about 7 years. I have also learnt kathak and belly dancing.

Tiger Shroff as an actor or Tiger Shroff as a dancer, in what field you think Tiger excels and why?
Tiger excels in the field of determination. Come what may he gives his 200% in whatever he does. Even on a free day, he keeps on practicing and improving himself all the time.

Besides Tiger and you, there’s Nawazuddin Siddiqui. He’s as brilliant as it gets when it comes to acting. How was your experience of working with him?
He is extremely amazing and totally down to earth. I have really learnt a lot from him.

What is the one thing that you have learnt from them Tiger Shroff and Nawazuddin Siddiqui?
Both of them are basically a director’s actor. And that is exactly what I want myself to be as well!

Tell us a bit about the role that you play in Munna Michael?
I play the role of Dolly, who, despite hailing from a small town nurtures big dreams. I want to win the much coveted award of a dancing star. In addition to that, I also want to be an actress. My dreams are seamless and limitless in the film. My character in the film is that of an extremely confident girl who is always happy go lucky. Even though she is not so confident, she but behaves that she is super confident so that no one can take her for a ride.

Lastly, what’s your take on nepotism, which seems to be everyone’s favourite catchphrase these days?
Time proves anything and everything. At the same time, I want to say it is very difficult for an outsider to get into Bollywood. I am saying this without being diplomatic.