Nargis: I am still learning to flutter my eyelashes

'I didn’t know how to be delicate and feminine and seductive in films or in real life,' Nargis Fakhri tells Subhash K Jha.

Nargis Fakhri’s Hollywood debut film Spy is ready for release on June 5.

The actress has done some dare-devil stunts in this Paul Feig espionage thriller.

"I had to jump and run over moving cars in the rain," Nargis says. "It was slippery and dangerous though the cars were not moving as fast as they would look on screen. Still, it was scary. But it was also a lot of fun. I had never done anything like this before."

Nargis is all praise for her co-stars.

"Melissa McCarthy, who plays the main lead, was so much fun. And the director Paul Feig allowed me to see my portions of the film. So yeah, I am happy," she says.

Bollywood has so far not been a spectacular experience for Nargis. “I can’t say I’m unhappy because I script my own happiness in life," she says. "Whether I choose to be happy or unhappy is in my hands. If I am here in Mumbai pursuing a career, I am obviously doing so because I like being here."

Mumbai, Nargis admits, is home now.

"I was uncomfortable earlier with the culture," she says. "I was born and brought up by my mother in New York. I was raised to be one of the boys, so I didn’t know how to be delicate and feminine and seductive in films or in real life. I am still learning to flutter my eyelashes.

"I still travel a lot. I remain a gypsy at heart. But when I think of going home, I don’t think of New York. I think of Mumbai. Every evening after work when I head home, I feel a sense of belonging within my four walls. Though I’ll always be a woman of the world, I think Mumbai is my permanent postal address."

Nargis performed an item item song Mar jawan in Kick last year but she admits she has still not mastered the pelvic thrusts of a typical Bollywood dance. "I am trying to get a hang of it. But sometimes I feel I don’t get a chance to prepare enough. If I could get time for more rehearsals, I may just get it right," she says.

Photograph: Avinash Gowariker