Nora Fatehi on why filmmakers don’t want to cast her in lead roles: ‘Only four girls are getting projects nonstop’
Nora Fatehi recently said that she does not think that because of her dance numbers filmmakers don’t want to cast her in lead roles. Instead.
She blamed filmmakers for not looking past ‘four girls’ and casting only them in their films. Nora Fatehi made her acting debut in 2020 with Street Dancer 3D, but is mostly known for her famous dance numbers in films, such as O Saki Saki from Batla House and Manike from Thank God, among many others.
Without taking any names, Nora hinted that she was not able to land a leading role as filmmakers ‘don’t think outside of what’s in front of them’. She added that ‘only four girls are doing films in rotation, and all four are getting projects nonstop’.
Nora on why filmmakers aren’t taking a chance on her
“I don’t think because I dance is why they don’t want to cast me. Our main iconic heroines in Bollywood have been dancers who perform beautifully. And they excel in dance numbers, right? That was just a part of the package of being like an iconic heroine. I don’t think it was because of that. I think it was always, oh, I don’t know. It’s almost like let’s see who will take the chance on her [on me] and if she delivers in all the categories, meaning, the acting skills, the presence, the aura, the ability to express the language skill, then we’ll all jump on the opportunity. So I think it was who would have got the b**** to do it first, to take a chance on me first.
On filmmakers casting only ‘four girls’
Nora added, “Today the industry has become very competitive. Let’s be realistic. There are only a few films a year. And sometimes what happens with filmmakers is they don’t think outside of what’s in front of them. So if only four girls are doing films, and they’re going in rotation, and all four are getting projects nonstop, the filmmakers will only remember those four, they won’t think beyond that. So your job is to try to intercept the four and become five and get into rotation and then that’s just how the ball rolls. And yeah, I mean, it’s hard work, but it’s happening. And I’m very grateful for that. I just have to prove myself, so I can stick around. That’s the next challenge.”
Nora’s upcoming project
Nora Fatehi, who is known for her appearances in foot-tapping dance numbers such as Dilbar and Kamariya, will be a part of Varun Tej’s next Telugu film. It is said to be the most expensive film of Varun Tej’s career. Titled VT14, the film is reportedly set in 1960s Vizag. The announcement was made by the makers in July.
This is not Nora’s first Telugu film appearance. The actor-dancer made her Telugu debut with the song Ittage Recchipodham in Jr NTR’s Temper (2015).