She may be the granddaughter of late legendary music composer O. P. Nayyar, but Niharica Raizada is making herself known in Bollywood entirely on the strength of her performance.
Very unlike the typical image that a ‘star kid’ conjures up, Niharica is a researcher by qualification who did research in cardiology at John Hopkins University under a Fulbright scholarship. She then went on to do her training in acting at the New York Film Academy and went on to become an international pageant winner.
Now, the cardiology scientist who has been treating thousands of patients during the COVID crisis hopes to have a memorable filmography. And with her performance in Sooryavanshi she seems to have hit that ball right out of the park. Here are excerpts from her interview:
Q How do you look at your future in the entertainment field, especially in films?
I love my career in the film industry. And I hope that Sooryavanshi, in which I played an Anti-terrorist Squad (ATS) officer and had scenes with Ranveer Singh, Akshay Kumar and Katrina Kaif, brings a new ray of hope in my life.
Q Any memories you would like to share while working with Akshay?
When we’re not shooting, Akshay loves to play games. While playing games with him is interesting, he always wins every game, be it Ludo or Rummy. Also Akshay never plays games without a wager. Then he wins the game and the bet. I think I lost almost '160 or so playing Ludo against him. [Chuckles]
Q What kind of treatment did you receive while working with all these big-wigs?
I received a respectful treatment. Rohit Shetty is a director who respects everyone and because he treats people with respect, everyone respects him as well.
Q Would you consider yourself the latest entrant into the Ajay Devgn and Rohit Shetty camp?
Yeah, I am completely open when I admit that I am definitely a proud member of the camp. And I’d feel more than happy if in my entire career, I just have to belong to Ajay and Rohit camp. I think it’s the best camp. Moreover, it’s been my dream to work with Ajay.
Q You seem to be following your grandad O. P. Nayyar’s footsteps of getting into not only the films but also the community service?
As I see it, in these trying times when everybody’s waiting for things to get back to normal, there are two options. You can either do nothing, which is just absolutely a waste of your time as a human being, or you can get involved with services to help mankind. And right now, I’m just providing medical and community services like my granddad O. P. Nayyar did. He’d become an Ayurveda specialist at the age of 86. He’d sit at home and advise people on Vedic medicine. In fact, his father was also a very famous Ayurveda doctor. Eventually, I guess what you’re born into somehow stays with you and helps you live that way at a certain point in your life.
