Ferena Wazeir

Born in Kashmir and raised in Scotland, Ferena stumbled into acting through student films and theatre. Now she has her sights set on Bollywood.

Did you always want to be an actress?




Not at all! At first, I wanted to be a teacher, then a lawyer. Post that, there was a long phase where I was interested in broadcast journalism and politics. I wanted to be a war reporter.

I went to an all-girls private school in Scotland. It was while I was pursuing my film, media and communication studies that I started getting approached to act in student films. I dabbled in theatre and voice-overs to earn some pocket money and before I knew it, I was head over heels in love with acting. That's when I decided to take it seriously and I went on to study acting at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts (RADA) in London.

Who are some of the actresses you admire, in Bollywood and internationally?

I�m a fan of Meryl Streep - she has a great body of work. I also like French actress Marion Cotillard. In India, I love Tabu - she has carved a niche for herself. Rekha is also another fabulous actress.

What can we expect to see you in?

I debuted with Ketan Mehta's Rang Rasiya, where I played the role of a Parsi journalist. I've also done numerous ads and editorials, and acted with Harman Baweja in a short UN film directed by Pan Nalin. It was showcased at the Cannes Film Festival 2009.

You will soon see me as the female protagonist in Sadiyaan, a Raj Kanwar film that also stars Shatrughan Sinha�s son, Luv. I've also bagged Soni Razdan's upcoming film that�s based on the book Difficult Daughters, and Deepa Sahi's directorial debut titled Nana Karte Pyar. I'm also extremely proud to say I've bagged the lead role in a Hollywood film being directed by Oscar-winning Danis Tanovic.

Where so you see yourself five years from now?

I hope to be doing good work that I can be proud of. But you never know where life takes you!