With a career spanning over three decades, Niki Walia has witnessed the changing landscape of the entertainment industry from close quarters. In an exclusive chat with mid-day, the actor opened up about Bhai Tera Star Hai, being vocal early in her career, comparisons with Madhuri Dixit, and her efforts to break out of the urban roles image.
Niki on Bhai Tera Star Hai
Niki Walia plays Mandy, Sanjay Kapoor’s wife, in Bhai Tera Star Hai, describing her as loud, unapologetic and badass. She admitted the role pushed her out of her comfort zone but called it a blessing to take on something different after 30 years in the industry. Reacting to the film’s poor box-office response, she said, “It’s such a shame it did not get the due it needed. I also feel really, really, really bad for Vivek [Agarwal] and Raghav Juyal.”
Niki Walia on being vocal early in her career
Niki Walia recalled being vocal about her discomfort in the early days of her career, even when it meant putting her professional journey at risk. After making her film debut in Mr Azaad, starring Anil Kapoor, the actor eventually stepped away from films and moved to television despite the popularity she had gained.
“I was one of those anomalies, a rebel. But if you remember, when I had done my films and I had left my film, and left the industry, I had also left the industry because I knew that I would not tolerate nonsense. And I was very vocal about it,” she said.
Recalling her experience on the sets of Mr Azaad, Walia said she chose her self-respect over her career. “When I was not treated well on the sets of Azaad, when I was approached as a newcomer by the movie magazine, I had gone ahead and voiced my discomfort back then when I was 20. I chose my dignity over my career path,” she said.
Walia also opened up about why she was uncomfortable with the expectations placed on newcomers at the time. “It wasn’t pleasant for me. I wasn’t willing to go out for dinners with distributors just because my producer thought it was the right thing and he might sell a few more territories,” she said.
On working with Anil Kapoor
Speaking about working with Anil Kapoor in Mr Azaad, Walia said she maintained a professional distance from the senior actor. “He was much more senior than I, and I didn’t have that kind of rapport. I always kept my professional distance. I have not really had a mad ride with Anilji on Azaad. I was always too nervous,” she said.
Niki Walia on comparisons with Madhuri Dixit
Niki Walia also recalled how comparisons with Madhuri Dixit followed her throughout her career. The actor said she was constantly reminded of the resemblance, something she continues to hear even today. “There wasn’t a passing day of my life that I was not made aware, or someone told me, or I have read it somewhere. It is happening even today,” she said.
Niki Walia wants to break her ‘urban’ stereotype
Walia further opened up about being typecast as an urban, elite or posh woman and said she wants to explore roles that challenge that image. The actor revealed that she has been actively trying to convince the industry to consider her for rural characters, even offering to undergo physical transformations for such roles.
“I have really struggled to make people understand that you cannot put me in a box. I am willing to do the auditions, I am willing to change the colour of my skin if I have to,” Walia added. Drawing a comparison with Amitabh Bachchan’s transformation for a role, she said, “I repeatedly keep telling all the casting directors that if you could make a six-foot man like Amitabh Bachchan into a Paa, who is a dwarf, yes, you can definitely change my elite and urban look to a rural look, that’s not hard.”