Even as she attempts to prove herself as an actress, Nora Fatehi is gearing up for more songs after setting the stage on fire in Paris
Avinash Lohana (MUMBAI MIRROR; March 16, 2020)

After kickstarting the year with Street Dancer 3D, alongside Varun Dhawan, Shraddha Kapoor and Prabhudheva, Nora Fatehi will next be seen as a spy in Bhuj: The Pride of India, set against the backdrop of the 1971 Indo-Pak war.

She began shooting in January and learnt Mixed Martial Arts as a part of her prep for the action sequences. “I’ve picked up the basics, including how to kick, punch, pin someone down and even took gun training. It’s a performance-oriented role and is a great elevation in my career,” informs the actress who has come to be known for her hippy-hippy shake-shake chartbusters.

While Street Dancer 3D may not have worked commercially, Nora insists she got a lot out of that film. But after earning her stripes as a dancer, she now wants to establish herself as a performer. “Typecasting hinders the growth of an artiste. Talent and versatility will bloom when this idea of people doing just one thing disappears, but things are changing,” she says optimistically.

Last month, she performed at Paris’s Olympia, the concert venue of Pink Floyd, The Beatles, Janet Jackson, Madonna and Taylor Swift in the past. It was her first concert and she grooved to songs like “Dilbar”, “Saki Saki”, “Kamariya” and “Ek Toh Kum Zindagani”. “My team and I were working on it for six months. The Olympia will only permit you to perform there if you’re a saleable artiste. It was a sold-out show, with an audience from India, Middle East and Morocco. I also sang my singles, the English song 'Pepeta' and the Arabic version of 'Dilbar'. It’s something I’d love to do it in the future too,” she asserts.

Meanwhile, Nora is collaborating with an international artiste on her third single. “It’s an original English commercial pop song which will release this year. I’ve just got back from Morocco where I was putting the project together. I’m really excited,” she signs off.

Renuka Vyavahare (BOMBAY TIMES; January 24, 2020)

After dancing her way into people’s hearts, Canadian artiste Nora Fatehi is excited about her next outing — the Remo D’Souza directorial, Street Dancer 3D. In a quick chat with BT, she talks about her journey so far and more. Excerpts...

Street Dancer 3D also features Varun Dhawan, Shraddha Kapoor and the dancing legend, Prabhudheva. Recently, Varun had talked about how Prabhudheva, who is otherwise extremely quiet and calm, becomes a different person when he dances. Given your passion for dance, how was it working with him?
Well, I didn’t get to dance with him in the film, but I watched him when he was shooting for his scenes. It’s like dance gets his alter ego out. He is a quiet person, but the moment music starts, he goes all out. It’s phenomenal, he’s like Michael Jackson. Apparently, even he was quite shy when he wasn’t on stage, performing. That’s how great artistes are. Prabhudheva is an icon, I could see why he is who he is.

Over the years, you have become one of the most sought-after dancers in Bollywood. So, this film feels like an apt choice...
I am not a trained dancer, I am self-taught. So, it was intimidating to dance with some of the finest talents in this film. I freaked out initially, as it was challenging, both physically and mentally, to match up to them. It made me push my level of dancing. I play Varun’s girlfriend in the film, and my character is supportive and instrumental in his rise as a dancer.

You are a Canadian. How did you make a foray into Indian showbiz?
I was born and raised in Canada. I was always inclined towards dancing, but couldn’t afford a dance class or formal training. My family never encouraged arts as they wanted me to focus on academics and become a doctor. So, I had to teach myself. I would watch dance videos online — be it Bollywood songs, Turkish dancers, Beyoncé, Rihanna... I am extremely observant and that helped. I chose to pursue my career in Bollywood, as it’s the second biggest movie industry in the world and a place where I can dance and act. From doing five-minute dance numbers, I have moved on to acting in films and so, I am happy. It’s only getting bigger and better. Also, I don’t consider my performances as item numbers, they are dance numbers. I am proud of them, as they are performance-oriented.

According to you, who are the best dancers in Bollywood?
Hrithik Roshan is the best. Katrina Kaif is also good. However, my idols have always been Madhuri Dixit Nene and Helen ji.

Rachana Dubey (BOMBAY TIMES; January 17, 2020)

Nora Fatehi is known for her sharp moves in dance numbers like Dilbar (Satyameva Jayate) and Saki Saki (Batla House). The actress, who has been paired with Varun Dhawan in Remo D’Souza’s Street Dancer 3D, took close to 20 retakes to nail her introduction sequence in the film which was essentially a dance piece. It was shot in London on the first day of her schedule.

Recalling the day, Nora says, “I had a month to train for this sequence, but a week before I took off to London, the choreography and the dance style were changed. I was intimidated because my team in the film, The Royals, comprises such amazing dancers and they’re so advanced and prepared.”

The actress adds, “Remo sir wanted the entire dance piece to be shot in a single take and I wasn’t mentally prepared for it. I thought there would be a break or two during the shoot. Even though I have arm and core strength, the street moves that were required were out of my comfort zone. All of this rattled and scared me. With that fear playing on my mind, I fumbled many times. As an artiste, people have expectations from you, you can see their reactions on the set and you feel like you’re delaying others because you are messing it up. I am a new actor and working in this set-up is a huge deal for me. I play a team leader and had to match their standards. With pressure playing on my mind, I ended up giving many retakes. I even sustained a back and neck injury during the shoot, and before canning the scene, I was undergoing physiotherapy.”

Eventually, could she impress Remo? Nora answers, “He told me that I had shattered all the records and that no one in the past had required so many retakes to can a sequence. He told me that the hard drive that day was only full of my takes. Today, when the sequence is finally in place, everyone likes it, but it didn’t happen easily.”

Smita Poojary (DNA; September 16, 2019)

Nora Fatehi has so far been famed for her sexy dance moves, whether in Dilbar (Satyameva Jayate) and Kamariya (Stree) in 2018 or Saki Saki in Batla House this year. However, in the John Abraham-starrer, she has also been noticed for acting. The 27-year-old believes that her supporting roles and dance numbers in Bollywood have helped her in getting the roles that she always wanted to play. She says, “Everything has a chain reaction and is connected. Whatever I’ve done, whether films as a supporting actress in Roar: Tigers of the Sundarbans (2014) or Crazy Cukkad Family (2015), reality shows like Bigg Boss 9 (2015) and Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa 9 (2016) or music videos such as Naah with Hardy Sandhu, put me on the map slowly but surely. I don’t regret anything. I feel everything that I did really helped my journey.” Right enough, she has a biggie like Street Dancer 3D with Varun Dhawan and Shraddha Kapoor in her kitty. “It’s an emotionally-driven story with hardcore dancing and I’m one of the leads,” Nora says to drive home the point.

LEARNING EXPERIENCE
Working in the Remo D’Souza directorial has been a mind-blowing experience, albeit one with a lot of sweat and blood. “I had to do some dance forms that I’d never attempted before. As an artiste, I have grown a lot in the last six months and learned so many things that I didn’t know before. Being on-set, with everyone, was a refreshing experience. It felt like I was back in high school. I will not forget the experience for a long time,” she avers.

WORKING WITH VARUN AND SHRADDHA
In the movie, Nora shares screen space with two of the biggest actors of the new generation, Varun and Shraddha, who are known for their dancing skills. The Dilbar girl says about the two, “Varun and Shraddha were extremely accepting and supportive of me. They took me under their wings and made me feel like family. I would lose patience with myself if I didn’t get a move right, if I forgot the choreography or due to stress, ended up giving too many takes and beating myself up as an artiste. Sometimes, Varun would teach me how to calm down and be patient. He would say, ‘It’s okay even if you need too many takes or mess up with the choreography’.”

She shared great camaraderie with all her co-stars as well. She informs us, “As we suffered a lot of physical pain, we would do a lot of masti to ignore it and stay positive. There were a lot of pranks on the sets.”

FILMS AND SONGS NOT SEPARATE 
The actress-dancer doesn’t believe in films and songs being different things. “Movies have tracks and the ones I’ve featured in have been in films. Of course, my goal is to be a versatile artiste and to be able to do films — songs as well as music videos,” she states. As far as reality shows go, she points out that she has passed the phase of being a contestant and would now like to be seen as a judge in them. “I’m not ready to be a judge right now. I still have so much to learn and grow as an artiste. But one day, when I’m a proper mature artiste, I’d love to take up that role,” says she.

UPCOMING PROJECTS
Going forward, Nora wants to do something where she can showcase her dancing as well as acting abilities. “I’m looking for performance-oriented roles, even if it has a dance number, as long as there is substance and depth to the character,” she concludes.

Saki Saki girl Nora Fatehi asserts she is far from typecast in Bollywood
Sonil Dedhia (MID-DAY; August 14, 2019)

With several hits to her credit, Nora Fatehi has become the go-to girl for special dance numbers in films. Her latest offering, O Saki Saki remix, sees her attempting fire dancing in the Nikkhil Advani-directed Batla House. "I had only three days to learn how to use the prop [fire fan]. Once I got the basic idea of handling it, I had to learn the complicated dance steps," recounts Fatehi, adding that fire dancing, by its very nature, is risky when done by a novice. "The fire fans were heavy. Add to that, I had to wear a flowy skirt and leave my hair loose. So, playing with fire in such a scenario was challenging. Now that the song is liked by everyone, my hard work has paid off."

While her twinkletoes have ensured her a place in several big-budget films, including the upcoming Street Dancer 3D and the recent Bharat, the Canadian dancer has rarely got the opportunity to showcase her acting skills. Quiz her if she feels pigeon-holed, and she maintains an optimistic stance. "I am grateful that the industry appreciates my dancing skills. I don't perceive these songs as item numbers; they are performance-oriented songs. It's not my sex appeal, but my performance [in the number] that becomes the talking point. In Batla House, I am not restricted to doing Saki Saki. I have a full-fledged role of a girl who comes from a small town and whose existence is important in driving the story ahead. There were times when I would hug Nikkhil after a shot because he is allowing me to live my dream."

Nora Fatehi promises that she will be seen more and more as an actress from her next
Avinash Lohana (MUMBAI MIRROR; May 25, 2019)

Even as she shoots for Remo D’souza’s Street Dancer 3D in Dubai with Varun Dhawan, Nora Fatehi is excitedly looking forward to her next, the Ali Abbas Zafar directed Bharat, headlined by Salman Khan and Katrina Kaif. Her song “Turpeya” from the period drama released earlier this week and the actress is quick to point out that it is not an item number but a situational song.

“I play Sunil Grover’s wife and the song describes the progression of our relationship, besides a lot of other things that are happening alongside. My presence is small, just two scenes, one of them comic, so we had a lot of fun,” laughs the actress who sizzled in the recreated version of “Dilbar” in the John Abraham starrer Satyameva Jayate and Stree’s hippy-hippyshake-shake “Kamariya” last year.

Nora plays a Spaniard in the film and she promises that beginning with Bharat, the audience will see her more and more as an actress now. “We shot in Malta which is visually stunning and working with experienced actors like Salman and Sunil, I learnt a lot about the craft. A film like this is a great opportunity,” she asserts.

Next up: The Nikkhil Advani-directed Batla House featuring John as ACP Sanjeev Kumar Yadav. “That’s a bigger role, followed by Street Dancer 3D which is even bigger, things are progressing well,” says a satisfied Nora who’s having a blast with Varun in Dubai. “We come back in the first week of June.”

Rachana Dubey (BOMBAY TIMES; February 22, 2019)

She had a busy year, after Dilbar (Satyameva Jayate) made waves and Nora Fatehi was signed up for pivotal roles in John Abraham’s Batla House as well as Salman Khan’s Bharat. The new year added another feather to her cap, when she was cast in Varun Dhawan and Shraddha Kapoor’s in Street Dancer 3D. The dance film has recently gone on floors and is currently being shot in London.

Given that the Remo D’Souza directorial is an out-and-out dance film, it’s expected to be packed with groovy face-offs between actors. Talking about her preparation for the film, Nora says, “2018 was my year and 2019 has also begun on a high note. It’s a grand dance film, and I really didn’t expect it to happen. You know when you think of a dance film, you think of Step Up and You Got Served. I watched those movies in my growing up years. Back in the day, I used to wonder if there’s ever a film like this, I’ll probably be a part of it, performing some of those energetic dance-offs. And look, it’s happened!”

She adds, “I’ve been preparing for this for years, but now that I’m ready to shoot, I realise that the level of dancing is going to be about 50 times higher than anything I have done before. I am not a trained dancer, which is hard for people to believe. There have been many dance forms that have been very difficult for me to pick up, but once I’ve figured them, it’s been comfortable. Contemporary dance was like that and right now, popping-locking is giving me sleepless nights. Whacking is also like that. Hip hop, Afro and even belly dancing were difficult, but only at the outset. I enjoy them now.”

Elaborating on what’s making her nervous about her under-production ventures, Nora says jokingly, “This year, people will see me for more than five minutes on the screen in all three films — Batla House, Bharat and Street Dancer. Let’s see if they can put up with that.” 

As told to Natasha Coutinho (MUMBAI MIRROR; December 4, 2018)

For Ali Abbas Zafar’s period-drama Bharat, which I shot for in Malta, I had to speak English with a heavy Spanish accent. That required weeks of prep before I joined the shoot because my usual conversational style did not fit in with the character I play. I did a lot of one-on-one sessions with a Spanish friend. I used to hang out a lot with him and observe how he spoke and the way he sounded. These interactions helped me get the accent right and worked well for the role.

For another upcoming film, Nikkhil Advani’s Batla House with John Abraham, I’m currently taking diction training because this time I have to sound like a village girl and the accent plays an important part in bringing the character to life.

For my debut film Roar: Tigers of the Sundarbans (right) in 2014, I had to train in martial arts for a month because I played a commando and had a full-fledged fight sequence. I also trained in using a harness and did my own stunts. Thankfully there were no injuries.

Moving on to my dance numbers, “Dilbar” was the kind of song I had been dreaming of all my life. I would watch videos on the internet in my free time for references. When the Satyameva Jayate team met to discuss the song, I made it clear I wanted an oriental dance style and didn’t want to mix styles. I discussed my ideas with Adil Shaikh and we went through a lot of change in choreography and it was freestyle in front of the camera.

For my music video, Raftaar’s “Baby Marvake Maanegi” (right), I learnt a style called Dance Hall. It required a few days of training. I would rehearse the moves with Raftaar and jam with him. When I was a contestant on the reality show Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa (left), I learnt a new dance form every week, from Tango to Contemporary, including lifts and how to move in-sync with my partner.

I have done some regional films and for the recently released Malayalam film, Kayamkulam Kochuni, I did a song called “Nrithageethikalennum”. I was told I would have to memorise the lyrics. It was an alien language and I had just a few days to get the lip-sync right. I was also expected to emote according to the words and each word seemed like a sentence to me. It was a complicated process. Even for Baahubali’s “Manohari”, a big song with Prabhas, I had to memorise the Telugu and Tamil lyrics. Believe me, all these chartbusters are not just song and dance!

As told to Natasha Coutinho (MUMBAI MIRROR; September 3, 2018)

My first job was at a men’s clothing store in a small shopping mall in Canada. One day, I was passing by with my friends when I saw a ‘wanted’ sign outside the store and applied for the job. I was hired within a few days. I was still in high school then and would finish at 3 pm, walk to the mall which was close by and start my 4-9 pm shift. At a very young age, I was given responsibility of the store. I would help customers find suits and formal wear for special occasions, I also handled the inventory and kept track of the stock. While working at the store, I learnt about customer service and interpersonal skills. I also handled money and registered sales. My first pay cheque, for $1000, came from that job. I immediately desposited it in the bank. Having never received such a big amount before, it made feel independent. After that, I got a part-time job at the most boring place anyone can work in, a telemarketing company. I spent hours sitting by the phone, making cold calls to people and trying to convince them to buy lottery tickets. I worked on commission and a salary. I did it for about six months and even though I hated it, the job helped me grow as a negotiator.

Next, I did a bit of waitressing at a quaint coffee shop. I would work double shifts there and that helped me enhance my customer service skills. I also learnt to be more patient and courteous, even when dealing with really rude customers. The job also demanded speed and efficiency, particularly when we had a full house. Despite all this, it was fun because I had a great boss

I worked there for six months. It was tough managing school and work because of the long hours the latter demanded. I would take the bus and it was an exhausting ride when it snowed. But overall, I have some good memories of my time there.

Though I was making decent money, I quickly realised that this was not what I wanted to do. My heart was set on becoming a performer and I joined an agency in Toronto with the intention of becoming an actress. I had no experience, not even a portfolio, but they took me in. I kept an eye out for opportunities in the US and enrolled for a number of workshops. While I was working towards my dream, my Canadian agency invited me to India for a few months to shoot some commercials. I didn’t think twice and grabbed the offer.

I didn’t know the language or anyone in India but within a month of landing here, I knew this is where I wanted to pursue my passion. I started with catalogue shoots but since the agency that had reached out to me was more focussed on modelling and I came up short because of my height, I knew I had to move on and find someone who could represent me as an actress. After a few commercials, I landed a film, Kamal Sadanah’s Roar: Tigers Of The Sunderbans. At that point I had started learning Hindi and decided to shift bag and baggage to India.

My struggle began from that point. There’s still so much to learn, I still have to prove myself as an actress. But now, I’m getting to act, dance, and even host my own TV show, Dating In The Dark. The stars are finally aligning in my favour and the way ahead looks bright.

Dancer-actress retraces her steps to chartbuster glory
Rohit Bhatnagar (MUMBAI MIRROR; August 14, 2018) 

Indian-Moroccan dancer-actress Nora Fatehi, who made her acting debut in Kamal Sadanah’s 2014 horror feature Roar, has found firm footing in showbiz with special appearance songs. The 26-year-old actress retraces her dancing steps on screen:

Untitled, Bharat (2019)
I have a situational song in the Ali Abbas Zafar-directed period drama that forms the backdrop for my first meeting with Salman (Khan) in Malta. Sunil Grover, him, me, all of us are going to be dancing. I have yet to hear the song but Bharat is a film that is very different from the ones I have done so far. I’m prepping up for my role of a Spanish girl, which includes learning basic Spanish and working on my accent. I am in Malta for the next 20 days and happy that people are finally willing to work with me as both actor and dancer.

‘Dilbar’, Satyameva Jayate (2018)
When I learnt that I would be dancing to the reprised version of an iconic 1990s song from Sirf Tum, I not only jumped at the opportunity but felt a strong sense of responsibility as well. It required some belly-dancing, but I didn’t learn the dance form, it comes to me naturally. “Dilbar” has a very sensual and Arabic feel to it that people are enjoying.


‘Kamariya’, Stree (2018)
I started “Kamariya” before “Dilbar” and landed it because of the music video “Naah”, which I had done with Punjabi singer Hardy Sandhu. The song was very different from anything I had done earlier because I played a rural girl with a rustic look. It was good to experiment with styles and looks with the lyrics and beats reminiscent of massy Bollywood tracks making it a desi number that can be played at parties and get-togethers. Having “Dilbar” and “Kamariya” come out around the same time has helped me a lot.


‘Rock The Party’, Rocky Handsome (2016)
I shot this number before entering Bigg Boss 9 in 2015 but the release got pushed ahead and my song came out after my eviction from the house. I was still enjoying the buzz of my first commercial Bollywood song. John (Abraham, film’s lead) was encouraging and supportive, making sure I didn’t feel like an outsider. It was a party song and resonated with everyone but it didn’t make me an overnight star. I continued to struggle for a while.


‘Kukkurukuru’, Kick 2 (2015)
This song happened three years ago and was my second turn in South films. A massy number and high on dance, it has a rustic feel to it.

‘Manohari’, Baahubali (2015)
Baahubali was the biggest film I have even done so far and “Manohari” is a beautifully picturised song. It came to me when I was doing South films and every one of them was a hit. When I signed it, Baahubali was only in Tamil and Telugu. Later, Karan Johar got involved and it was dubbed in Hindi. Because of it’s success I got Bigg Boss and then Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa, followed by popular music videos with Raftaar and Hardy.

Learning Spanish for Bharat, Nora Fatehi says sharing screen space with the superstar marks her big break in movies
Sonil Dedhia (MID-DAY; August 14, 2018)

Having landed a role in the big-ticket film Bharat, Nora Fatehi is aware that the Salman Khan starrer could well be the inflection point in her career. While the period drama traces India's journey from its Independence in 1947 to today, the actor - who will be seen in the mid '80s portion of the film - is currently learning Spanish to add authenticity to her part. "Since my role requires me to speak in Spanish, I thought of picking up the language. I haven't hired a tutor, but I am learning it from a close friend," says the Morrocan-Canadian actor, refusing to divulge details about her character in the film that also features Katrina Kaif and Disha Patani.

With the unit of the Ali Abbas Zafar directed-venture currently shooting in Malta, Fatehi is expected to join them by month-end. Stating that "an opportunity to work with Salman doesn't come every day", the actor says that a big-screen outing with the superstar will help her showcase her acting skills. "Bharat is a big project for me, and I want to give my best to it. I am grateful to Salman, Ali and producer Atul Agnihotri who thought I was perfect for the character. Working under Ali's direction will be a wonderful experience."

Four years and a string of dance numbers — including Dilbar in Satyameva Jayate - later, Fatehi points out that bagging Bharat has reinstated her faith in hard work. "It hasn't been an easy journey, but I feel that perseverance ultimately pays off."