I was an Indian in my past life: Maryam Zakariya
From Grand Masti to Anjaan, this lass has made her way from Bollywood to Kollywood through dance
By : gautam sunder
Update: 2014-07-08 16:00 GMT
Chennai: She may have been born in Iran, and brought up in Sweden; but watch her moves and you realise that she definitely belongs in India. Fuelled by a passion for desi cinema that saw her spend long hours glued before the TV, practising dance moves, the ravishing Maryam Zakariya is finally where she wanted to be.
From setting ramps across India go va-va-boom to seductive item songs (The mujra number with Kareena Kapoor in Agent Vinod) to her full-fledged debut in the sex romp, Grand Masti, the danseuse has truly come full circle in her passion to become an integral part of Indian cinema. Now she’s a part of Suriya’s much-awaited gangster thriller, Anjaan — can Maryam strike gold in K’town?
Glamming it up with the boys:
“I’m doing a very hot guest appearance in the movie and an item song too. They wanted a Bollywood celebrity to be a part of the project and I’m happy they chose me. When I was approached to do the song with Suriya and Vidyut for Lingusamy’s film, I instantly agreed as I know the respect and popularity they have in the South.
This is not actually my Kolly debut; I made my first southern cameo in Sundar C’s movie, Nagaram, in 2010. I would love to act in Tamil films that combine romance, drama and action — that’s what I have the most interest in. Vijay, Allu Arjun and Mahesh Babu are my top picks to work with!”
Swedish memories:
“As a teenager growing up in Sweden, I was mad about dance numbers in Hindi flicks. Madhuri Dixit was my idol! Though it was hard to find gurus to teach me classical dance, I learnt Kathak as well, and loved to express myself through it. That’s when I decided to establish my dance school in Sweden — the Indisk Dans Studio, to create awareness about Bollywood dance.”
From kuthu songs to mujra:
“I’d choreographed and performed in a number of music videos; but my first big break was the song ‘Diyalo Diyala’ from the Telugu movie 100% Love, that led to my lead role debut as well. But dancing alongside Kareena and Saif has been the absolute highlight of my career, thus far! Though I had initial language barriers, they were incredibly nice to me, made me feel really welcome, and I had great fun during those few days of shooting.”
Grand Masti times:
“I quite enjoyed playing the role of a voluptuous teacher in the movie *wink wink* ... and you can well imagine how the guys would feel about that! Though I’ve been comfortable with my glam avatar so far, I do believe I can essay a simple, homely character perfectly well too if the opportunity came along.”
Sweden meets India:
“Since childhood, I have always felt a connection with India. Maybe I was Indian in my previous life, that’s what my mom always says! This is my home now, and I’m a masala mix of Swedish, Persian and desi hot. (laughs).”
Looking ahead:
“I have been busy travelling for live performances and there are offers from South film industry in the pipeline. As for my love life, I’m dating Bollywood choreographer Arvind Thakur and we’re happy together.”