NEWBIE NIDHHI GLAD PARENTS TRUST HER

Set to play actor Tiger Shroff’s leading lady in an upcoming film, Nidhhi Agerwal says her relatives warned her parents against the film industry

Nidhhi Agerwal (right), who is from Bangalore, will soon be making her acting debut alongside actor Tiger Shroff in Munna Michael. However, bagging a film in Bollywood hasn’t been easy for her. Although her parents supported her decision to enter films, her relatives warned them against letting her be part of the “big bad world” of Bollywood. “My parents are very trusting. They have always supported my decisions. But people around them, rishtedaars were like, ‘Tum akele Mumbai kaise bhej sakte ho?’” recalls Nidhhi, who gave four auditions for the Sabbir Khan directorial. Sharing her experience of the initial days in Mumbai, Nidhhi adds, “When I reached the city, I started hearing stories about everything that happens here [casting couch, nepotism etc]. But these things exist everywhere, even in the corporate world. It’s just that Bollywood is a public profession, so word gets out. But I have never had a casting couch experience. No one has ever approached me.” The actor adds that this has a lot to do with the kind of person she is. “Maybe because I don’t become friends with someone very quickly. I’m either working or at home. I don’t go out partying,” says Nidhhi. Another problem she faced was getting a place to stay in Mumbai. “People did not want to rent out their place to me. They’d ask, ‘Are you going to live alone?’ My dad had to come and meet my landlord. He had to assure him that he and my mom would keep coming to visit me,” recalls Nidhhi.