I just don’t want to be eye candy, says Saloni Misra

Debuting as a doctor in ‘Falaknuma Das’, Punjabi-born Saloni Misra wants to stay geared towards more meaningful and multi-dimensional roles

Out of the box Saloni Misra commends the ‘Falaknuma Das’ filmmaking experience special arrangement

She’s not from Kerala. The pretty and a tall Saloni Misra is a Punjabi and spent most part of her life in Auckland, New Zealand. Her family moved back to India when she was ready to get into junior college.

She’s now set to make her debut in Faluknama Das . Ask her how she got into acting, she narrates how she took advise of some well wishers seriously, “We came back from Auckland after my father’s business moved here. I studied fashion in Mumbai and every time I would go to Lakmé Fashion Week, everyone would suggest that I should join movies. Even when I was modelling, it was not ramp, I was doing commercials with some good brands. I have been a belly-dancer for nine years. I love performing and interacting with audience.”

Saloni states that she has a long way to go and has just started in showbiz. She is tied up with a few agencies in Mumbai and she does get work but she is picky about what she wants to do and what not. She specifies, “I just don’t want to be eye candy. I never looked at myself as a model, I did them because I got the offers. I now want to work hard and be a good actor.”

To a query why she didn’t pursue Bollywood film, Saloni reveals her inclination to do south cinema. “Personally I always wanted to do a south movie. There are such good movies happening here, even Bollywood remakes films from here.

‘Personally I always wanted to do a south movie. There are such good movies happening here, even Bollywood remakes films from here.’ I’m hoping the audience here will like me.” Speaking about her role in the film, Saloni says, “I play Zoya, a doctor, a sensible girl and is in love with Das. Vishwak is playing Das. Zoya is a bubbly and shy girl as well. The character has many shades.”

Saloni admits it was indeed difficult speaking Telugu on the first day. She got her lines just a few minutes before the shot but somehow managed. Thereafter she insisted on someone telling her what every word means and her work got only better.

Speaking about her passion towards belly dancing, Saloni says, “I was eleven when I began belly dancing. It is believed that every mother in a foreign country teaches her daughter belly dancing, the way we teach Bharatanatyam here. Belly dancing is an emotion like meditation, involves techniques like breathing. I have my youngest student aged five and an older student aged 62. Here, you are not jumping, yet you are burning calories and toning your body.”