New Delhi, Aug 23 (PTI) Newcomer Anya Singh says she always knew that she was meant to be a performer but it took her some time to realise it. The actor, who is set to make her debut with “Qaidi Band” opposite another debutant Aadar Jain, says she stayed away from acting for the longest time as the profession was “looked down upon” by many. In an interview with PTI, Anya says, “I never wanted to accept the fact that I wanted to be an actor because people would look down upon the profession. They would say, ‘but you’re so smart why do you want to be an actor?’ “A lot of people still believe that actors are dumb. Like they couldn’t do anything else so they became an actor. That’s so untrue and unfair.” The actor plays Bindu, an undertrial in the Habib Faisal-directed title and says not many know that the filmmaker is a seasoned actor. “Habib sir used to act our scenes before we went in. And what an actor he is. We even pestered him to do a part in the film. But he didn’t relent.” The Delhi girl says her family does not come from films and it was her love for music and dance that helped her realise that she wanted to do movies. “While I was deciding on further studies, I realised I wanted to act. I told my friends from boarding school who encouraged me to talk to my parents, who were not convinced initially. “I realised I was fooling myself. And now, I’m here because I defied all of that. I followed my heart. I’m proud that I managed it on my own.” Anya says like any other up-and-coming artiste she also wants to be loved and hopes the audience will appreciate her hard work in her first film. “I still can’t believe I was chosen for the film out of thousands. I want to be loved. Who doesn’t? But at the same time I hope people will see I’m putting a lot of effort to achieve that.” The actor says they were brutally criticised on the day of their launch, for which they were not prepared. “They started bashing us the day we were launched. They said these newcomers will flop, the film won’t work. And this happened even before the film released. “If we had been criticised after the audience had watched the film, it would have been different. But this is jumping the gun. Any newcomer should be at least given a chance to prove herself/himself,” says Anya. “Qaidi Band” releases this Friday. PTI
