The girl who bowled over the Jats….Kristina Akheeva

The girl who bowled over the Jats….Kristina Akheeva

Part Russian and part Tajik, Kristina Akheeva was  born in Russia and migrated to Australia when she was 7. After high school she moved to Melbourne  where she took up acting classes. Very soon she caught the attention of a lot of  Australian photographers bagging regular modeling assignments. This was followed by a 3-month modeling contract in Singapore. An avid traveller she spent the next 5 years travelling and successfully modeling in China, Philippines,Singapore,Korea, Thailand and India.2010 saw her bag some prestigious assignments in India.Her desire for acting stronger than ever she returned to India in 2012 :her persistence paid off when she bagged the lead opposite Sunny Deol in JYPD2. She had seen Jat Yamla Pagala Deewana but not even in her wildest dreams did she imagine she would be acting in the sequel!

Tell us a little about your background  and your qualifications

I was born in Khabarovsk, Russia. At age seven I moved to Australia. From a young age I was interested in dance and drama. I did all kinds of different dance styles as a kid, focusing mostly on Ballroom dancing and involved myself in theatre productions at school and outside. I knew from a young age that I wanted to act. When I finished school I enrolled in some acting classes and started modeling. The modeling took me all over the world which eventually led me to India. 

How did you develop an interest in Indian culture?

The first time I came to India was in 2007. I was on a three month backpacking trip, of which I spent one month travelling around India. It was a huge eye -opener for me, the diversity and all the different aspects that makes this country so intriguing. I returned  in 2010, this time on a one year modeling contract. This time spent, really helped me to learn more about the culture and develop an appreciation for Hindi cinema.

How did you bag Yamla Pagla....?

I was asked to come for an audition via my agency. I had to learn 4 Hindi scenes and do a dance audition as well. They were auditioning for 4 months so I felt very blessed to be the one given such an opportunity. Waiting to hear back was probably one of the most nerve wracking and exciting moments of my life.

What was it like working for the famous Deols?               

I really enjoyed working with them, such down to earth kind hearted people. Dharam Ji was like a mentor throughout the shoot of the film. Extremely supportive and full of stories from his years of   being in the film industry. We had some good times on the sets. 

Did you undergo training in diction & dance?

                                                                                       

I had a Hindi teacher with whom I worked on my audition scenes, after that there was no time. Filming started straight away. Jasvinder Bath, the writer of the film used to spend time with me going over dialogues making sure my pronunciation was correct. Also there was no time for dance training. Thankfully my past dance experience helped me to pick up the dance moves easily and quickly.

This is your debut film....can you recall any interesting anecdotes?

In the title track song Bobby had to open a champagne bottle. For some reason he couldn't get it open and we had to take several takes. Eventually the cork popped and sprayed me right in the face. They were shooting this in slow motion so its quite hilarious watching it back. 

What are your upcoming assignments in films/ modelling?

Currently  talks are on for a couple of films. I would  like to do something very different to YPD2 for my next. Maybe a romantic film or a thriller. I would like to be experimental with my roles. So I am  happy to take time choosing my next project.

Which Indian actors inspire and impress you?

 Kareena Kapoor and Vidya Balan are two of my favourites. Both extremely talented with an interesting body of work. 

What are your other interests?

I have always been into natural remedies and medicine. After school I actually enrolled to start a bachelor of health science - naturopathy. One week before starting the degree I dropped out to focus on acting instead. Now it's more of a hobby. I  am  always  making some kind of natural face and hair packs and use different types of herbs to make sure I am  in good health . Back in Australia I have many books in this topic as well.

*****

Charu Shankar a trained dancer, musician and an actress began her television career as the host of the shows, The Big Fat Indian Wedding and Routes on NDTV Good Times. She has featured in various TV commercials like Vatika, Metro shoes, Fortune oil, Vodafone and also  in a music video directed by Imtiaz Ali. Her movie credits include cameo roles in Wes Anderson's “The Darjeeling Limited” and Mira Nair's “Reluctant Fundamentalist”. She has also choreographed in movies like 'Jalpari' by Nila Madhab Panda and 'Listen Amaya' by Geeta Singh. As a director of Aquamarine Productions, Charu pursues her passion for theater by creating and organizing theater workshops and productions for emerging artists in the contemporary arts.  She is also a certified Jukari instructor for Reebok, India. Malikaa is based on the Indu Sundaresan's best selling novel, 'The Twentieth Wife'. Charu Shankar and Karanvir Sharma will play the lead roles of Mehrunisa and Salim respectively in the legendary Mughal tale which goes on air in August.

In which dance form have you trained?

 I have been dancing since I can remember! As a little girl, I spent hours day-dreaming and dancing to my own tunes. Both my alma maters- Modern School and  Lady Shri Ram College, encouraged my passion for dance and dramatics, and I took every opportunity they presented to perform on stage. Both institutions laid heavy emphasis on creative dance and improvised dramatics, rather than teaching stringent classical forms, and encouraged me to find my own voice, my own movement- its the kind of training that I hold very close to my heart.

In 2001, I joined the Danceworx Performing Arts Academy as a Repertoire member, and learnt Jazz and Contemporary Dance under Ashley Lobo. During my association with Danceworx, I had many opportunities to further explore my creativity .
I also had a chance to work in dramatics and musical theater with stalwarts like the Pulinkala's of Delhi Music Theatre, Dilip Shankar, Rashid Ansari, Roysten Abel, Adil Hussein, Tina Johnson, Vivek Mansukhani- all of whom helped me to develop my language of movement and dramatics.

 TV host, ad films, films  & now Malikaa--- what  were  your experiences?
As a TV host, you are essentially not 'acting'- you are communicating an experience that you are having at that moment- whether you are talking about a beautiful place that you are in, or a fabulous meal that you are tasting, it is YOU and how you feel- its personal, and you are yourself. 

When you are acting, whether its for ads, films or drama- you take on a character, and you speak in that persons voice, hear that characters thoughts in your head, dress like them... Both are completely different, and I am very grateful that I have had the opportunity to enjoy both sides!

Tell us about Malikaa….
Malikaa is a very special project to me. Around   2 years ago, my Book Club picked The Twentieth Wife as our monthly read, and I loved the book! I remember we all had a long discussion about it (We are all literature students from LSR, and there's nothing more exciting than finding a good book to discuss over endless cups of hot coffee on a winter evening in Delhi) and at that time, we all hoped that someone would make a film about it. In fact we all made a list of probable actresses who would do justice to the character of Mehrunissa- I never thought then that the opportunity would actually come to me. So when in May this year, I got an audition call from EPIC for Mehrunissa, you can imagine my excitement! And to work with a channel which is so different from the other channels I couldn’t ask for more. It has been a dream come true! 

 What were the roles   in Darjeeling Limited & Reluctant  Fundamentalist?

In Darjeeling Limited, I played the stewardist on the train The Bengal Express, in which the 3 brothers (played by Owen Wilson, Adrian Brody & Jason Schwatzman) and my intervention in the last scene marks the end of their travel story in India, and hints at possible new beginnings. In The Reluctant Fundamentalist, I play the lovely girl at the wedding, who is pointed out in the story as a possible alliance for Changez (played by Rizwan Ahmed) in his hometown by his parents (played by Shabana Azmi & Om Puri). Though both parts were relatively small roles, they brought an opportunity to experience working on two large Hollywood productions, and to be able to watch stalwarts of acting at work! I learnt so much just by observing how these actors prepared and delivered memorable performances. I'm also very grateful that I got much appreciation from both directors (Wes Anderson & Mira Nair) for my work, and both of them have voiced their confidence in my abilities as an actor. 

 Working with Anderson & Mira--- any interesting anecdotes?
 Both Wes Anderson and Mira Nair are tremendously talented and creative directors, and give a lot of freedom to the actors on the set. I was initially a little nervous working with them both- since both of them are such big names in the industry. 

Wes Anderson puts a lot of thought into the tiniest detail- I remember there was a half hour long discussion on the exact size and colour of my bindi, because he wanted it to fit in perfectly with the colour scheme of his set! He noticed small gestures and the movement of my eyes while we were taking the shot, and appreciated an extra look that I added on an impulse- even I hadn't noticed that I had done that! 

Mira Nair is very, very warm! She is a director who inspires actors to find their characters, rather than simply directing them. On her set, I never saw her succumbing to the usual pressures of film-making- she always had a smile on her lips, and was always encouraging the cast and the crew to find the perfect take!

How did Malikaa happen?
Malikaa was, in fact, offered to me because the producers of the show happened to watch a preview of Reluctant Fundamentalist! They saw me in the film, and spoke to Mira Nair, who was present at the preview, and I  very lucky that she expressed her full confidence in my abilities as an actor. I could not have asked for a better recommendation .  Although I was skeptical initially, as I have not really played character from period dramas earlier; however when I met the team from EPIC, I was enthralled by their sheer enthusiasm and vision. The role for Mehrunissa was challenging, yet so very real and relatable.