Nargis Fakhri made her Bollywood debut with Ranbir Kapoor in his 2011 film, Rockstar. Nargis played the role of Heer Kaul in Kapoor-starrer musical romantic drama. As the actress turned a year older today (October 20), let’s take a lookback at how she was cast in the film. Did you know director Imtiaz Ali selected her as a Rockstar actress for looking out of ‘Ranbir Kapoor’s league’?

During an interview with Mid-Day, Imtiaz Ali opened up about casting Nargis Fakhri in his directorial venture, Rockstar. Imtiaz shared that he wanted his Heer to look like someone who is ‘dil todne ki machine’ and that you can only aspire for.

The Rockstar director added, “This girl, who is so high class. Even (out of) Ranbir Kapoor’s league. I was thinking that this is the face, this is the body and she did a wonderful performance.”

Meanwhile, Nargis Fakhri once revealed that she didn’t know Ranbir Kapoor before being cast in Rockstar. While speaking to Bollywood Hungama last year, Nargis shared that she was quite naive and didn’t know about anybody (from the film). The Rockstar actress continued that she didn’t do any research as it wasn’t her goal.

Nargis continued that she came to India as a “regular person who wanted to try a new thing”.

In Rockstar, Nargis Fakhri was paired with Ranbir Kapoor as his love interest. While Ranbir played the role of JJ (Janardhan Jakhar), a Delhi guy studying at Hindu College, Delhi University, who aspires to be a musician. Nargis was cast as Heer Kaul, a beautiful girl from St. Stephens College.

The film also starred Aditi Rao Hydari, Piyush Mishra, and late veteran actor Shammi Kapoor in crucial roles.

On the work front, Nargis Fakhri has worked in movies like Main Tera Hero, Housefull 3, Madras Cafe, Torbaaz, Amavas, and more. She has made her special appearance in movies such as Kick, Phata Poster Nikla Hero, and others.

Nargis has returned to the Housefull franchise. She will be seen in Sajid Nadiadwala’s upcoming production, Housefull 5. The comedy movie will star Akshay Kumar in the lead role.

Today, October 20, 2024, marks the festival of Karwa Chauth, a day that celebrates love and commitment. Many Hindi movies have showcased the beautiful relationship between a married couple, also reflecting on their struggles, emotions, and sacrifices. On the special occasion, let’s take a look at some of the Bollywood movies available on the OTT service Netflix that celebrate the essence of marriage.

7 Bollywood movies on Netflix to watch this Karwa Chauth:

1. Laapataa Ladies 

Riddhima Kapoor Sahni, who made her on-screen debut with Fabulous Lives vs Bollywood Wives this year, shares a great bond with her family. Riddhima lost her dad, veteran actor Rishi Kapoor in 2020. During one of the promotions of her show, Riddhima revealed that her family including Ranbir Kapoor, Neetu Kapoor, and herself would cry in ‘separate rooms’ after Rishi Kapoor’s death.

During a new interview with YouTuber Siddharth Kanan, Riddhima Kapoor Sahni got candid about losing her father, Rishi Kapoor. The actress shared how her family hid emotions and didn’t show them to each other.

Riddhima recalled, “When my dad passed away we never showed emotions to each other. We used to go to separate rooms and cry like take it all out and then come and then just be normal or act normal, but it has got us really close.”

Riddhima continued that Kapoor’s family might not express how they feel, however, they bear the pain of losing him “deep down”. The Fabulous Lives vs Bollywood Wives actress shared that she supports her mom, Neetu Kapoor and vice versa. 

Riddhima, who stays in Delhi, expressed that she meets her mom, Neetu Kapoor in Mumbai whenever the latter feels upset. The debutante is married to Bharat Sahni and they have a daughter Samara Sahni.

This is not the first time that Riddhima Kapoor Sahni spoke about losing her father Rishi Kapoor. In an earlier interview with YouTuber Anushka Arora, Riddhima stated that the Kapoor family has got “closer” and that they look after each other a bit more. She also referred to her uncle, actor-filmmaker Rajiv Kapoor who died a year later in 2021.

Rishi Kapoor, who was diagnosed with leukaemia, went to New York for his cancer treatment. He returned to India in 2019. Rishi was later admitted to a hospital in Mumbai as he faced breathing difficulties. The veteran actor died on April 30, 2020.

Coming back to her debut, Riddhima Kapoor Sahni is a part of the third season of Karan Johar’s production venture, Fabulous Lives vs Bollywood Wives. The series is headlined by Maheep Kapoor, Seema Sajdeh, Bhavana Pandey, and Neelam Kothari. The new season has been streaming on Netflix since October 18.