Nora Fatehi says Bollywood cliques are ‘worse than high school’; points out why many foreigners failed in the industry

Nora Fatehi recently compared Bollywood to her high school, even noting that the latter was, in some ways, an easier environment.

By: Entertainment Desk

Kochi | November 4, 2024 10:05 PM IST

3 min read

Nora Fatehi says she's done songs in movies for free in the hope of being cast in the next one.

Renowned for never mincing her words, actor-dancer Nora Fatehi has time and again spoken about nepotism in Bollywood and the difficulties outsiders face in making a name for themselves and rising to the top in the industry. Recently, she compared Bollywood to her high school, even noting that the latter was, in some ways, an easier environment. Nora also noted that the concept of female beauty has become somewhat homogenised, as a result of which many women now “look the same.”

“My aesthetic is the same as most of the girls in our industry right now. We have started looking the same. I don’t know how that happened,” she said during a chat with film critic and journalist Rajeev Masand held as part of the 15th edition of the Indian Film Festival Of Melbourne. Nora, born and raised in Canada, continued, “When you come from outside, it’s like high school. I lived in Saudi Arabia for three years from ages 13 to 15 and I went back to Canada when I was 16. I returned in the middle of high school and people had already formed their cliques and groups. Nobody wants a new person in the middle of high school and I know how that feels. Bollywood felt like that. I was like, ‘this is Westview (high school) all over again. I have to take out my formula and see how I did it back then and try to implement it now.'”

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“It’s (Bollywood) a little bit worse than high school since most of these cliques grew up together from day one. But when you’ve done it once, it feels like you can do it again. Since you’re an outsider, if you don’t prove yourself or you don’t learn Hindi, assimilate and prove to them that ‘hey, I can be like you guys,’ there’s no way in. I don’t blame the industry or the circles for this. It’s like working in a company. If you want to get promoted… it can’t happen if you don’t have the knowledge and experience. I understood that immediately after reaching India, assessing the industry and studying it,” the Madgaon Express actor pointed out.

“When my fellow models were going out, going to clubs, socialising, enjoying themselves and getting boyfriends, I was in my room studying the industry. Anytime a new person is launched and if they didn’t make it and they disappear after a year or so, I study them. I make graphs and analyse everything. That’s also when I understood one thing, if a foreigner came into Bollywood and they didn’t make it, most of the time it’s because they didn’t learn the language (Hindi) or didn’t assimilate. They wanted to stick to ‘I’m American or I’m Canadian and I’m going to make sure everyone remembers that.’ Even when they talked, they do it with a really strong accent so that you know we from the outside,” she added.

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