In Conversation with Meghna Naidu, the Kaliyon ka Chaman Diva!
- SonalBlogs
- Jul 26, 2022
- 9 min read
Meghna Naidu: The stunning Actress and dancing sensation, who wowed us with her dance moves is now teaching us how to dance, stay fit & be upbeat about life!
Meghna Naidu is a famous Indian Actress and dancing diva, whose Kaliyon ka Chaman dance number will forever remain etched in our hearts. She turned into an overnight sensation when her video hit the airwaves of music industry. Since then, she has figured in popular films in Bollywood and in the south, and in television series like Jodha Akbar, Fear Factor: Khatron Ke Khiladi and Dancing Queen. Though things have changed drastically over the years, but the nostalgia is still intact. Till date, no one has forgotten the oomph that Meghna Naidu brought on screen when she did that spectacular dance on Kaliyon Ka Chaman. The song made her an unforgettable name in the industry. Married to Portuguese tennis player Luis Miguel Reis, she now lives in Dubai, where she is a personal trainer and life coach, and runs a dance academy. So if you want to ace some dance steps, stay fit and be happy in life, you know where to go!
Sonal Chhibber, Award-Winning Editor-in-Chief from D Fashion Magazine, had a chance to catch up with the talented Actress and Life Coach, as she spoke about her new life in Dubai, her journey so far and her future plans; wherein they had a candid question-answer session. So here are some rapid fire questions and answers for the viewers world-wide to read and enjoy!
D Fashion : Meghna, you are a famous indian model, actress & television personality. Tell me about your background and journey so far?
Meghna : I come from a very humble middle class family. My parents moved to Mumbai from the South of India for work. Dad a Tennis coach and Mom used to be a Teacher. Have a younger sister and a pug. Never thought I would be an actress or a model so my journey so far has been nothing less than a fairy tale with lots of goods bads ups and downs. I have loved every stage of my life so far.
D Fashion : Describe yourself in real life? How different are you from your onscreen persona?
Meghna: You should ask this question to all my family and friends haha… Frankly what you see me on screen I am just the opposite of that in real life. Generally people have this perspective of me that I am a Diva who has an attitude and throw my weight around but when they meet me they often tell me that I am probably the most chilled out person they have met. I am unlike a lot of my industry friends very private and only put out on social media what I want to and that’s why I have been told thousand times I am not very active on social media. I have with time become a person who has a very small circle of people who I hang out with or bring into my comfort zone.
D Fashion: Heard you were an avid tennis player, trained bharatnatyam dancer & fitness enthusiast? So, how did modelling & movies happen for you?
Meghna : My dad has been a tennis player and then a coach all his life. I played tennis socially thanks to my dad pushing me to learn the game and luckily I loved it. Being a South Indian learning a form of classical dance was a must and so that happened. I have always been a sporty girl and I loved running, playing tennis and so I guess the fitness enthusiast was always inside of me. I had never planned to be a model or an actor. Kaliyon ka chaman has been one of those things which I have started to believe and that is *Being at the right place at the right time* . I was accompanying a friend of mine who was auditioning for the video and as luck may have it I was asked to audition too and rest is history. Movies was just was rolled in after Kaliyon ka chaman.
D Fashion : You are forever remembered as the Kaliyon ka chaman girl. Can you share some memories behind it? How did it come about and how did your life change after?
Meghna: I will be remembered as the Kaliyon ka chaman girl even when I turn 70 years old haha The music video was a very random moment in my life when I didn’t even expect it. Life after Kaliyon ka chaman has been a fairy tale and with that came a lot of responsibilities and a lot of drama and a lot of ups and downs. Nothing is easy to maintain after giving a world wide super hit like that song. I travelled the whole world for stage shows after that song came out and I till date travel the world for the same reason.
D Fashion : What has been your most challenging role till date and how was your experience working with Balakrishna Sir?
Meghna : I must say that The most challenging has been doing *Kaliyon ka chaman* because it was my first ever experience in such a huge scale. When I was preparing for the shoot of the video I wasn’t prepared for how to handle such huge success. Everything has been a Learning experience since that song and I am still learning every single day. Working with Balakrishna Sir was one of the most calming experiences ever. He loves his music and every single day we would sit around listening to classical and old songs with him during shoot.
D Fashion : When did you decide to enter television? You did many popular television & reality shows like Fear Factor - Khatron Ke Khiladi, Dancing Queen & Jodha Akbar. How was the experience?
Meghna : Fear Factor was my first ever TV show. I got an offer and being the adrenaline junkie I am I could not say no to that show. Dancing queen again was something I wanted to do because it was about dancing and that is my 2nd love. I always wanted to do a TV soap and I remember asking My friends from Balaji to let me know if there was any show I could be a part of and that’s how I got Jodha Akbar. I have really really enjoyed doing TV shows and I realised that TV actors job is one of the most difficult ones compared to movie actors. Shooting for a movie is like piece of cake compared to TV.
D Fashion : We heard you run a dance academy here. Tell us the story behind your dance school?
Meghna : I started my Dance academy many years ago in Karama centre but then I realised I was missing out on a lot of work back in India so shut it after 3 years. I re opened the academy in 2018 at the Emirates golf club and then 2019 the pandemic hit and I had to shut it for now. I plan to start that again but that is still on hold. I am doing online zoom lessons though because a lot of people are not comfortable coming into a closed studio at the moment.
D Fashion : How did marriage & relocation to Dubai changed your life? Did you find it difficult to balance between career and marriage?
Meghna : I have been in and out of Dubai a lot due to work in India and husband in Dubai… It was surely not easy living 2 different lives and travelling all the time for work. There have been times I have flown into India 5 or 6 times a month either for a shoot or a show. So balancing both has been tough but I enjoyed it a lot so no complaints. 2019 until now I have been mainly in Dubai and loving spending all my time with my husband.
D Fashion : What are your thoughts on Dubai fashion? Do you love fashion events in Dubai? Do you follow latest fashion trends or you have your own style?
Meghna : I love Dubai fashion because everything is so glam here. But the fact is I don’t really follow any fashion trends at all because I am a very laid back kind of person. I am very comfortable in my basic wear and I am not too fond of the high end brands as I prefer wearing and carrying Made in India local stuff most times !!! I have my own style and I guess I am most comfortable in that. And to be honest, with my kind of job now which is mostly related to workout and dance I have no time or interest in wearing anything apart from cool sports wear 90% of the time 😀
D Fashion : What do you love about Dubai and expat life here?
Meghna : I love how well organised Dubai is. I love that it is so diverse and open to everyone from every part of the world. One can be friends with someone from every country here !!! Everyone celebrates every festival and loves to be a part of different communities here. There is a vast range of people, food and culture in one place and I love that about Dubai.
D Fashion: You are quite fit & have a flawless skin, so please share your fitness mantra and beauty secrets with our viewers?
Meghna : I am always *Under construction* as I say fitness wise. I am constantly working on myself every single day. I think consistency is the key. I really don’t do anything apart from basic necessary care for skin. I try and use hand made products and Indian local products for my face. I think the most important thing to look and feel fit Is to Eat well, sleep well, workout well, and one thing that has really helped me is *Stop – Focus - Breathe*. Another thing that keeps me mentally fit is taking breaks from Social Media. 1 day a week I don’t post anything or don’t scroll any Social media pages and that has helped I guess. I urge everyone to try it !!!
D Fashion: How responsible do you feel working as an influencer on a social platform & having zillions of followers looking up to you?
Meghna : I am a very cautious person specifically about what I post or repost on my social media pages. I make sure I post only positive and happy posts and forward only those posts which have been verified and true. There are many people who a careless on social media by posting anything and everything. I think being an influencer comes with a lot of responsibility and one must do their homework and make sure their posts don’t offend or affect anyone in a negative manner.
D Fashion: What are your thoughts on current pandemic situation in India & world over? Please share some tips with our viewers on how to stay positive and hopeful in these critical times?
Meghna : Right now Our country and many other places in the world is hurting with real bad times and the situation is out of hand. In these times being mentally strong is the most important thing. I always tell everyone to make sure if not physically, be there for your loved ones in spirit and call them message them or video call them everyday. Talk about healthy Happy thing. Don’t keep discussing about how bad the situation is and don’t discuss negative news all the time. Make group calls to friends and families and maybe play games on video calls. People who are living in mayhem situations like India need a break from the regular sad stories and do things differently. It is a tough time and we shall overcome it and for that we have to stand strong together mentally and emotionally.
D Fashion : What are your future projects or what do you aspire to do in years to come?
Meghna : Frankly at this points of time with India in lockdown most of the projects you are supposed to do are either shelved or cancelled. Will only know what is going to happen when things get better and that may take a few years. What I am working on is making few videos for my YouTube channel and will be working on growing on social media as of now.
D Fashion : Any words of wisdom for our readers and those who idolize you and want to foray into acting, dancing & fitness?
Meghna : I always tell people one thing who want to become actors is that make sure you have a degree and a back up plan. Becoming an actor seems very easy but in reality it is super tough and it takes a lot of time. Yes some may be lucky like me who get the 1st break and become famous but that happens once in million years. My struggle started after I became famous. Acting is not a forever job, it is there today and won’t Be there Tomorrow. What will always be there is your degree or your back up plan about the 2nd job. Having said that, if you do choose to become an actor make sure you have plenty of Patience, Will power, Mental strength and Never give up thought process because you will eventually need these. And at the end of the day You need to love what you do and if you love what you do then life becomes a fairy tale even if the ride is tough !!!
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