‘Air’y fairy tales!
Several air-hostesses have turned to Sandalwood to pursue their passion for acting
By : shashiprasad s m
Update: 2015-06-24 00:07 GMT
Once upon a time in Sandalwood, filmmakers would fly to various states, in search of fresh faces for their lavish productions. Now, many gorgeous faces are landing in Sandalwood after working as air hostesses. There are at least half a dozen ladies who are now waiting to reach the pinnacles of ‘star’dome.’ We speak to some of these stars who share their experiences about making this career shift.
Richa Panai, a well known face down south worked as an airhostess for a brief period before venturing into Sandalwood in Buguri opposite Golden Star Ganesh. She says, “I won three beauty contests when I was in 12th Standard but after that there was no scope in Lucknow. So, I considered joining the airline industry as it would enable me to fly to Mumbai where Bollywood is based. Otherwise, there was no way my parents would allow me to go to Mumbai. However I always knew flying was just a parttime option for pocket money or experience.”
Actress Akankshaa, who stars opposite Duniya Vijay in RX Suri, briefly worked as an air hostess too. She says, “I feel being an airhostess is a challenging job. You need to look presentable all the time, be it at 4 am or 10 pm. It can get monotonous but most of the time it’s fun. I chose to be an airhostess because I found it to be a glamorous profession. Now that I am into films, it helps me in terms of discipline and grooming.”
Richa too agrees that the role of an air hostess is tough at times. “After joining an airline, I realised that the training process was so difficult. One has to study 24/7 to pass exams, especially if you want to be hired by a popular airline which has elaborated services and menus which was crazy, as I was part of the first class international route.”
The Calendar Girl and lead actress in Lodde opposite Komal Kumar, Akanksha Puri says, “As a crew member, I was free for couple of days after long distance international flights. But my life took another dimension after I got into modelling and then acting.”
Sukrutha Wagle who rose to fame with her critically acclaimed performance in Jatta had worked as an air hostess for more than three years before she ventured into films. And now the most recent addition to the flying girls in Sandalwood is Amann Grewal who stars alongside Nikita Thukral in Powder Hakkoli Tale Bachkolli.