DYK? A top Bollywood actress who’s also an ace item dancer once worked at a Hookah Bar!

One of the best dancers in the nation, Nora Fatehi, star of Dilbar, talked about a casting director who, not knowing that she was raised in Canada but is Moroccan, told her to go back to her home country for an interview. One of the biggest names in the business, Nora began her career with Roar: Tigers of the Sunderbans in 2014. But it hasn’t always been easy for her—from being made fun of by directors to having to pay almost Rs 2 crore for every song. She had previously disclosed to News 18 how she had been made fun of for not knowing Hindi.

She remarked, “I was just learning Hindi, so auditions were really traumatic. I would make a fool of myself. People would laugh in my face; they were unforgiving. The driver would ask, ‘Are you okay?’ as I would be howling while sitting in the rickshaw. One casting director in particular, just tore me apart. ‘Why are you even here?’ she asked me. And I said, ‘You know, I want to make it.’ A dream has come to me. I want to be a performer; I want to entertain people.”

Nora Fatehi reveals her career journey:

According to Nora, the director said, “‘No, no, no, go back to your country. Come back; we already have people just like you.'” She went on, “And it hurt me because we—that is, the Moroccan people—grew up seeing Hindi films. We hold it in high regard.” The 31-year-old actor claimed that Arab fans are enamoured with Shah Rukh Khan, Amitabh Bachchan, Kajol, and Madhuri Dixit.

In an earlier interview with BBC Asian Network, the Dilbar girl talked about taking on odd jobs to help her meet her basic needs. In her hard times, she claimed to have also worked at a hookah bar. Nora remarked, “Whatever opportunities I have had have been extremely last-minute, but fortunately, I was prepared. I wouldn’t have a boyfriend and go out and socialise and party like all the other girls did. Every day, I would shut myself in a room to study the language, watch TV, and rehearse. My brother’s birthday, his wedding, and everything else were all missed by me. ‘You want to be like the next Katrina Kaif?’ was a common question.”

The actor-dancer talked about how her time working in a hookah bar helped her to improve her dancing. Nora revealed, “It’s a thing. You just pick up a shisha, just like, ‘Here’s your shisha, how is it? Yes!’ It’s not a ‘Oh, you need me. Alright cool, I’m here,”