People used to call me ‘bro’ in college: Nabha Natesh

Nabha Natesh has already made a name for herself in Sandalwood with her debut project ‘Vajrakaya’. Sashidhar Adivi says the former model-turned actress is living her dream.

She hails from the holy place of Sringeri (where Goddess Sharadamba Peetam is situated). True to her birth place, Nabha Natesh was a bright student in academics and arts. “Sharadamba is God of Art (Goddess of Knowledge, Art, Learning and Music), so I had a natural inclination toward arts – did theatre plays and dance during school and college. I’m a film lover and used to watch every film but never thought would become an actor. I was a top ranker during academics and subsequently pursued engineering,” she shares.

Mid-way into her course, the actress felt the going monotonous and decided to take up modelling. “I took part in Miss India (Bangalore) and won the title ‘Miss Intellectual’ besides being in the top 10 finalists. The line of work fascinated me so much that I wanted to become an actress. I did an acting course in Bangalore and worked in theatre for a while. Later, I bagged my first film in Kannada ‘Vajrakaya’, opposite Shiva Rajkumar,” Nabha recounts.

While many actresses are happy being a glam prop in their debut, Nabha seems to have bucked the odds. “Unless you do something interesting and unique, you’ll not get noticed in your debut. I got several offers (before ‘Vajrakaya’) but had to turn them down because the script did not excite me. When I met director Harsha (through a family friend), he told me that he was looking for a fresh face. He narrated to me the character and script. I auditioned for over three months for the role and was finally in,” she reveals.

The actress continues, “Once I was on board, I had to train hard for the rebellious character. I had to learn smoking bidis. I could not eat properly for two days because of the raw tobacco smell. It’s extremely challenging because it was a strong rowdy-like role. I had to wear lehenga and other accessories everyday on the sets. I was also trained in horse riding and I remember my mom used to accompany me every day for the riding. But I enjoyed it because I always wanted to debut in a particular way.”

The former model continued sticking to her principle of taking up ‘unique roles’ and it landed her in Tollywood. “It’s good to see people are cheering and recognizing me after ‘Vajrakaya’. But if you are dreaming big you have to wait for the right project. I was flooded with offers but waited for enough time to sign my second film (Telugu debut) under director Ravi Babu. I auditioned by sharing my videos”, she quips.

Away from the archlights, Nabaha is a fun loving girl. “I like to surprise herself. I like spending time with my family & friends and of-course; I need my own space. I love to workout but I hate crash diets. I’m a big foodie. When I am on a diet, I make everyone at home follow the same (laughs). So there’s no cooking good delicious food at home when I am on a diet.”

Recalling her college days, she describes herself as exuberant and a live wire. “I always used to hang out with guys and girls of 10-15 people and sometimes they used to call me ‘bro’. I’m like a tomboy. Actually, if I look back, I’m not quite surprised that nobody had proposed to me (smiles). But my idea of a perfect date is to go out with a guy who has a good sense of humour, else, I get bored.”