I always knew I’d be in Bollywood: Amyra Dastur

I always knew I’d be in Bollywood: Amyra Dastur

Bollywood debutante Amyra Dastur talks about living her dream and her journey in the film industry from here on.

Where did you get your Anglicised Hindi accent from?
I've been brought up in Mumbai, but being a Parsi, we only speak either English and some little Gujarati at home. My mother has lived abroad and I've grown up hearing her talk, so probably that's where I get this accent from.

You have no Bollywood genes, what has the struggle been like?
My father works in the medicine industry and my brother is studying to be a chef. I was the only one in my family who was absolutely focused on acting since I was a kid. But my parents are extremely strict about my finishing studies. So I am currently studying second year B.Com. I only entered the industry when I was 16. I really didn't have much of a struggle to land myself a role in a film. The only major problems I have faced have been related to my diction as I don't know too much Hindi. I'd been auditioning for two years and was also doing TVCs on the side, until I bagged Issaq.

You had your name changed from Amy to Amyra. Why?
I was named Amy at birth, after my grandmother, who had passed away before my birth. She was an extremely respected lady, who singlehandedly brought up three children, looked after my sick grandfather and provided excellent education to all her children. When I entered the industry, I realized that there will be times when nasty things will be spoken and written about me. I don't want my grandmother's name to be dragged into such mess. Thus, the change in name.

How was the experience, working on your first film?
A film unit is like a family, you not just work together but laugh, cry and fight also. There are countless emotions on a film set, because you spend so much time. I was very lucky to have such sweet co-stars and such as amazing director of course. There were times when we used to get into arguments and fights also. I used to cry on the sets. This one time we had a tiff when the director and disagreed over the way a particular scene was to be done. Now I laugh when I think of it. The whole experience was a lot of fun.