Nargis Fakhri minds her language

The Pakistani-Czech actor says she learnt Hindi for three months and cried every night because she was finding it difficult to get rid of her American accent

While Nargis Fakhri has been praised for her looks, she has come under some intense criticism for her Hindi. What many perhaps don't know is that the voice in Rockstar isn't even hers.

Fakhri, we hear, is going all out to rectify the handicap.

Says the actor, "I dubbed for 10 scenes, but after that, I don't know why I wasn't allowed to. I never really asked. Maybe it was felt that I still had a bit of an American accent. Let me tell you, I really wanted to dub my own lines."

The New York resident born to a Pakistani father and a Czech mother has moved to Mumbai and plans to work hard on her Hindi. "I want to speak Hindi with my friends but everyone speaks English. When I try Urdu with them they don't know what I am saying," she said.

Fakhri said she can't be faulted for not trying. "I worked nearly 10 hours a day on my Hindi, for three months. I tried so hard to master the language that I'd cry every night wondering how much harder I had to try. I have an aptitude for languages and I know I can do it. But then, I went away to America for four months and lost all connection with Hindi again. My American accent has come back."

Meanwhile, the actor is basking in the success of her debut film. "There has been some criticism too. But I never take criticism badly. I don't consider it a negative thing. If someone feels the colour of my eyes needs to change, I can't do anything about it, but if someone feels my acting needs to improve, I can certainly work on that."

Fakhri said she didn't take acting classes to prepare for her role in Rockstar. "I remember wondering how I'd be an actress if I never took acting classes. Then I thought, I've travelled so extensively and experienced so many cultures. I think I've imbibed a lot of character."

"Would you believe, I didn't know who Imtiaz Ali and Ranbir Kapoor were? I knew AR Rahman only because of Slumdog Millionaire. By the time we finished shooting, I realised I was working with some of the biggest artistes.
Now when I see how big they are, I say, 'Wow, the universe has been very kind to me'," she said.

Fakhri admitted that she has been inundated with film offers but she is no hurry to accept them. "I'm waiting for a role that I can connect with like I did in Rockstar."