I believe everyone wants to feel loved and accepted and nobody likes to be rejected, says Nancy Thakkar

Actress Nancy Thakkar has been receiving immense love and appreciation for her recent short film on Disney Plus Hotstar titled ‘Pill Hai Ki Maanta Nahi’, in which she starred alongside Aarya Babbar. In the past, Nancy has done more than 100 ad commercials well-known brands. Besides all this, she has also starred in many movies and short movies. Nancy's previous film to hit the theatres was ‘Facebook Wala Pyar’. Her short film ‘Do I Exist’ premiered on Disney Plus Hotstar. OTTplay met up with this talented actress for an exclusive interview. Here are the excerpts:

Hi Nancy! To begin with, can you tell us about your acting career. How did you come to this point and where did it all begin?
My journey actually began from the time I did my fashion designing course. Out there, I made a few friends who were models and they used to usually go for auditions. Out of curiosity, I used to go with them for auditions, just to observe how they're giving auditions and the process goes. I used to observe them a lot. Seeing them auditioning really intrigued me to try and give an audition. Just for the lark, I had auditioned for leading tea brand, which fortunately I bagged it, and I took it up. So that was my very first commercial, that’s how I began. And then I realized that you really need to work on your craft if you want to pursue it as a career.  Also, I've always been very passionate about dance and acting since the start. I've been performing dance on stage since I was two and a half years old. Even in school and college, I used to do a lot of dance performances. So, as a kid only, I think I had it in me. I used to love performing.  In 2017, when the makers of Nawazuddin Siddiqui starrer ‘Manto’ were casting for a female actress for Suraiya’s character. By the grace of God, I got the role... which began my journey.

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Since you have done so many ad films, how different is working in a film from working in a film?
I find ad films very exciting as they are quick and shorter. You need to deliver very fast. Even if you're doing like a short film, it takes around two to three days, and a feature film definitely takes around 25 days to a month depending on the project. So, yes, that is definitely more satisfying as an actor, since one gets to deliver creatively.

Auditioning is a part and parcel of your process. How do you handle rejection?
I believe everyone wants to feel loved and accepted and nobody likes to be rejected. But key is that never leave hope and always look forward to new things in life. I would rather do something more creative and business-related work to keep myself busy. So rather than putting your attention on rejection, it's better you focus on good things in life.

Also Read: Where to watch Jatts in Golmaal on OTT? 

What is your take on OTT platforms? Is it a conscious effort to stick to more off advertisements projects?
No, definitely. It's not a conscious effort, it's just that my journey began from ad films. And I've been doing that a lot. So, a lot of people in the advertisement segment know me, so they keep reaching out to me. But OTT platforms are definitely doing great for themselves.

Tell us how it was working with Arya Babbar and the entire cast of ‘Pill Hai Ki Maanta Nahi’?|
Working with Aarya Babbar was great. He is a very good director, a very fun person to work with, always hilarious on the sets. He would always keep cracking jokes. The energy on the set is very vibrant and he knows exactly what he wants from his actors, and he was also multi-tasking on this particular project he was producing, directing, acting, writing and a lot of other stuff.

Since acting is a profession with a great deal of uncertainty, how important is it to you that you have a second career or source of income?
I strongly believe that every profession, not just acting. I think most people should actually have two to three business. One must by minimum have 2 incomes. Yeah. I have had this on my mind since I was a teenager, it is very important. Not just because acting projects are uncertain but otherwise everybody should have two sources of income. I definitely have mine and I'm not at all insecure about it. That’s what makes me stress free and pick up acting projects rationally.

You do shows and anchoring as well, what do you enjoy the most - acting / dancing / hosting?
It's very difficult for me to pick because it's like the basics for me, what are the basics? Food, water, and air, it's like that for me. Dance is passion. Acting is surreal. And hosting is a kick.

What is next for you?
Iam performing in a play called ‘Bade Miyaan Deewane’. Besides this, I'm also doing a film called ‘Parable’.