She sizzled in Kingfisher Calendar twice in recent years and has been part of ad campaigns of Pantaloons, Mahindra Xylo, Levis  and Titan. Now, she’s all set to make her debut in Pawan Kalyan’s upcoming film Panjaa in Telugu. Anjali Lavania talks about her life, modeling and her career ahead. A part of this interview appeared in the October edition of WOW! Magazine…here’s the full version.

Tell us about yourself and your family background?

My father is a Navy officer from Nainital and my mother is a Malayalee Catholic from Ernakulam, Kerala and I was born in Mumbai. Thanks to my father’s job, I have spent several years traveling all over the country. And then when I turned 16, modeling happened.

You have been modeling since the age of 16 and now you are acting in films. How has the journey been so far?

It’s been amazing. After I began modeling in college, I went to the US where I stayed for six years and walked the runway at several fashion shows in New York, Los Angeles. Later when I came back to Mumbai, Kingfisher Calendar happened and I also shot with Aamir Khan for Titan. Now, I am acting in films. Acting has been a fulfilling experience and I have begun to discover a lot more sides of my personality.

You have worked with people like Hemant Trivedi, Atul Kasbekar and Atul Sachdev. What was your biggest learning experience from them?

Hemant Trivedi is my mentor & guide and he taught me how to be genuine and not get carried away in this industry. And I have learnt to be true to who I am and not change for anyone. Working with Atul Kasbekar has made more confident and I guess I have become a daredevil after that (laughs). I shot with sharks and climbed a waterfall for the Kingfisher calendar shoot!

We hear that you are into reading Tarot Cards, Poetry and writing -

I believe in spirituality and my instincts about people are usually right. I can say that my psychic skills are very strong (giggles) and that’s how my passion for reading Tarot cards began. When I was in the US, I used to read Tarot cards at baby showers and now, I do it only for friends. Poetry has been my passion for a very long time and I write whenever I find time.  

Why did you choose to do begin your acting career with a Telugu film?  

I have grown up watching Mammootty and Mohanlal’s films since my mother is a Malayalee and we lived in Vishakapatnam for three years when I was a kid. My brother-in-law is from Hyderabad, so I guess, I always had a South influence. Besides, some of the top actresses today like Katrina began their career in South. I think it’s the perfect platform to start off my acting career. And the people here are very professional and sweet. I am being pampered on the sets of my film!

How did you cope up with the language barrier?

I would spend hours trying to memorize my lines and I am really glad that Pawan Kalyan and Ali noticed the hard work I was putting in. Pawan Kalyan has been a great star to work with and he’s always there to give me some suggestions and advice if I go wrong. I have an amazing character in the film Panjaa and I am sure people will notice it too.

You have been modeling for a long time. Any tips for the aspiring models?

Take care of your body and skin. Eat right and adhere to your own set of values. Goodwill is the most important thing in the industry. Believe in yourself and you’ll go places.

Style Mantra – Chic

Favourite Cuisine – I’m a big foodie. Love French, Thai, Indian etc

Holiday Destination –Brazil

Favourite Pastime – Writing

Craziest thing you have done so far – Climbing a waterfall without any safety measurements for the Kingfisher calendar shoot. Anything could have happened!

P.S: Since the interview was taken before the first look of Panjaa was revealed, Anjali didn’t want to talk about her role in the film. What she didn’t tell me was that she’s an amazing belly dancer! Her talent management agency, Bling! has edited this show reel and if you are eagerly waiting for Panjaa, watch out for the club song in the film featuring Anjali gyrating to belly dancing

By

Hemanth

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