Amyra is an Indian model turned Bollywood actress. She made her Bollywood debut with Manish Tiwary’s romantic drama Issaq, opposite Prateik Babbar. Tamil film Anegan was her first tollywood movie and she shared screen space with south indian star Dhanush, Karthik and Mr. Ashish Vidyarthi. Film was directed by K.V. Anand. After success of Anegan she was seen in Emraan Hashmi starrer Mr. X.
Now Amyra Dastur is all set to make her International debut. She will be seen opposite Jackie Chan in Kung Fu Yoga. The movie is being directed by Stanley Tong. It is a Chinese-Indian co-production of Taihe Entertainment, Shinework Media (China) and also stars Aarif Rahman and Sonu Sood. Amyra will be seen playing a tough girl and doing a lot of action in the movie.
Connect with her online: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram
Excerpt from an interaction with Amyra.
You career graph started as a model, moving on to becoming an actress, from ad to the screen how was your experience.
Amyra: Well the only reason i started modelling was so that i could break into Bollywood. I began modelling at the age of 16 and was told i had a very commercial face which allowed me to book a lot of advertisements. It was because of these ads that casting directors started noticing me and called me in for auditions. After 2 years of being mocked and rejected every time i went for a film casting, i finally managed to bag my first role at the age of 18 as Bachchi Kashyap in Issaq.
What’s has been your coolest experience so far?
Amyra: My coolest experience so far has been doing stunts with none other than Jackie Chan.
Who is really close to your heart in Bollywood?
Amyra: Bollywood is an industry which is still new to me. I’m not someone who enjoys networking and socialising because i am quite socially awkward. I can literally count my friends on my fingers and i’m really happy about this fact. I’m close to Vikram Bhatt, Prateik, Sapna Pabbi, Siddhant Kapoor and Erika Packard from this industry.
How’s the experience of sharing the same frame with Jackie Chain?
Amyra: Kung Fu Yoga stars Jackie Chan, Sonu Sood, Aarif Rahman, Disha Patni, Zhang Yixing and me 😛
Working with all of these actors has been an absolute pleasure and each of them hold a special place in my heart. Disha and i got along and really helped one and other out when we were in Iceland and China for 6 months. Aarif and Zhang taught me a lot about the Chinese film industry and gave me a lot of fantastic chinese films to watch when i was there. Sonu gave me a lot of insight about both Bollywood and South and i’m so grateful to him for giving indian food while i was there. Jackie was just a ball of energy and he is a genius when it comes to action sequences. Watching him doing his own stunts was a sight i will never forget.
Tell us about your role in KUNG FU YOGA?
Amyra: Well my character is a little sneaky in a way. You don’t find out who she really is until the interval. All i can say is that she is a modern Indian girl who is funny and tough and who can really kick some ass.
You are a Dreamer! What’s your dream role?
Amyra: Yes, i am an absolute dreamer 🙂 Well, i don’t really have a dream role per say. Every role i’ve done thankfully has been completely different from one and other. That’s my dream i guess, to be so versatile as an actor that i can play any character at any point in my career.
Who’s on your wish-list of actors and filmmakers that you want to work with?
Amyra: Actors: Aamir Khan, Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Amitabh Bachchan and Ranbir Kapoor
Directors: SLB, Rajkumar Hirani, Shoojit Sircar and Shankar.
What’s your best fan moment?
Amyra: My best fan moment was when i was shooting my tamil movie, Anegan with the very talented Dhanush in Malaysia. I wrapped up my shoot by about 5pm and decided to head to one of the malls to shop as i had some free time on my hands. While i was in the car, my driver told me that some teenagers were following us on their bikes and that we should head back to the hotel. I thought he was being paranoid and told him to keep heading to the mall. We reached the mall and headed straight to H&M. suddenly a group of about 10-15 teenagers came upto me and said that they had been following me from my set just to give me something. They gave me a beautiful glass showpiece which had all of malaysias most famous monuments on it. Then they asked me for a picture which i happily posed with them for and they even escorted me around the mall to all the stores i wanted to see as they knew the mall better than i did. It was and still is my favourite fan moment.
If you would not been a actress or a beauty queen. What profession would you have opted for?
Amyra: I would definitely be an entrepreneur. I’ve always dreamt of owning a nice cafe on the beach in Goa and then just settle down there. And who knows, i still just might be able to live this dream as well 😉
What are your hobbies?
Amyra: I am a fitness freak. I go running, i weight train, i do yoga and gymnastics. Other than that i’m actually decorating my new apartment which i moved into this year. I also have a knack for photography.
Do you dare to share your bad habits 🙂
Amyra: Hmmmm…. Well i’d be lying if i said i don’t have any and honestly my bad habits aren’t that bad. I binge eat sometimes, especially desserts. I can be quite lazy which is why i have a strict trainer. I am a tv addict. And i am a complete and utter workaholic.