00:00So there was this movie that I watched, it's about this girl, how she newly married, she goes to a new place in Kerala
00:12and she was here, she was outside Kerala, she lived outside Kerala all her life and then she gets married
00:19she goes to Kerala and then she starts her life there with her husband
00:25and then the issues that she faced, people, the way how they...
00:32that movie kind of struck and I wanted to do roles like that, that really inspired me
00:40and I'm like, I could have been that, that movie partly was shot in Dubai
00:46so I was like, I really missed acting then, it was, I took a break for about a year to concentrate on my career
00:54here in Dubai and then I was like, oh my god, what am I doing, I really miss acting
01:00and yeah, I think that when I saw that movie was when I decided that I have to continue my passion
01:09so growing up, never even imagined that I would be an actress, we used to watch, you know, growing up on Thursday nights
01:20on Channel 33, all the Bollywood movies, so that's, I never even imagined that I would be an actress
01:29so my parents were, but they liked me to be in cultural, they encouraged me to do extracurricular activities
01:39like singing, dancing, performing on stage, but that was about it and then academics was more important
01:46and so I continued studying, became an engineer and then what happened was
01:56my friend was getting married, she got married to a celebrity's brother in Kerala
02:05so I happened to be at the wedding and the videographer there, kind of the wedding videographer
02:13so then they kind of captured a moment where I was like telling her to, you know, smile
02:18and you know when we have bidai, as in like when the girl leaves her parents and then goes along with her husband
02:25so there she was like, it was an emotional moment so I was like asking her to smile
02:29and they kind of captured that and it kept playing at the reception as highlights
02:35and one of the directors spotted me and he contacted my friend and asked if I was interested in doing a part in his movie
02:43so that's how, that was my entry in the world of cinema
02:48My first job was in Emirates in cabin crew recruitment and I just, you know, I picked up from there
02:57and I thought I would just be an airline professional for the rest of my life and just keep growing there, that's my career
03:06but I knew something was missing, I just knew, you know, yeah, I enjoyed my job, I loved it
03:14you know, I kept moving in different airline industries, I resigned recently from Flight Dubai as you know
03:23and to concentrate in my movie career but yeah, I just knew something was missing
03:29and so I did my first movie, like I just took the plunge, my friends, my family, they just said that you should do it
03:38go do this movie, nobody stopped me or anything, like they all said yeah, yeah, do it, it's fine
03:45so then my second movie came with one of India's very prestigious, like especially in south of India
03:55very prestigious director Jeetu Joseph, so he and Prithviraj was doing the lead of that movie
04:02again, an amazing Malayalam actor, lead actor, so that was my second movie offer
04:09I couldn't say no, I was playing the lead actress
04:12so that gave me the confidence like okay, there is something that, you know, there is something that I can do
04:20I just, I was not scared in front of the camera or you know, that initial, I thought I would be but I kind of surprised myself
04:27and going forward then, you know, that was learning curve for me because that was a challenging role that I did
04:36because I had to have emotions like anger, sadness, you know, happiness, everything
04:45and it was not easy and I just didn't know how to do it but I somehow managed
04:50and yeah, so that happened and then each and every movie that I did afterwards
04:57like even if it's a small part, I kept in touch, you know, three days leave, four days leave
05:03taking leave from my job and then going and doing this, it wasn't easy, you know, balancing everything
05:10your family life, your career and your passion wasn't easy but then that was my true calling
05:17so after each and every movie, I just kept getting confident and then now eight movies later
05:24I am, I know that I have just taken the right decision and I just need to do this full time
05:31acting is not a part time job, you know, being an actor, if that is your passion and that is your true calling
05:37that is a full time job, it needs your, you know, all your time and energy
05:41so my role models and see I have a lot of support, I mean honestly I wouldn't be able to be here
05:50without my friends, without my family and, you know, my peers from even from my workplace
05:57my previous workplace, I wouldn't be here and I wouldn't be able to take this step
06:02so like my mom is a true inspiration for me, like she, as I was growing up and even now
06:13she hasn't stopped, like she is continuously trying to study, she is trying to get better
06:19so my parents came, my dad and my mom, they both came to Dubai like I think early 80s
06:27and they got married, you know, they met here, they got married
06:33so Dubai is really like home, I mean I was born and raised here
06:37so this is home for all of us, like my family, entire family actually
06:43so we are very connected to this place and this is the magic of Dubai, right
06:47it is such a blessed place and it gives you kind of, you know, opportunities
06:53and gives you that kind of, I just feel this land is blessed
06:57so I mean I am kind of, we kind of received that kind of, my parents came here to look for a better future
07:05so my mom, my dad had his own business here, he started his own business
07:09he had a bookstore initially starting with and then he moved to different wenches
07:14and my mom was a nurse, she started out being a nurse and then she became a clinical auditor
07:22because she continued studying, she got her degree from Wollongong University
07:28and then she became a quality auditor after that and that's how, and even now after retiring
07:37she has gone back to India, my parents have gone back to India
07:40and she has, she continued studying and now she practices acupressure
07:46so and she is now starting a small clinic of her own back home in Kerala
07:51so this is my mom and to me and my sister this is the kind of, she is kind of instilled in us
07:58that we have to just keep pushing ourselves, there is no time for rest
08:03and this is your life and you just keep trying and pushing yourself
08:07and achieving your dreams and keep pushing and go get it
08:11like that's what, my mom is my inspiration and my, I wouldn't be able to do all this
08:20like you know travel between Dubai, Kerala, Cochin, I mean Cochin, Chennai and then back Dubai
08:27all, I travel a lot now because now that I am focusing on my career
08:32and my husband has been an immense support as well during all this
08:38and my friends, you know I just can't go beyond what's like
08:44whenever, you know there are times when we actually feel like oh my god anxious
08:49like when I was, when I had, when I took a decision to quit my job
08:53it wasn't easy, I was like oh my god am I doing the right thing
08:58and that's when you have your friends to actually hold back and fall back on
09:03and then they say no no that's, this is what you want to do
09:06and sometimes you want to hear it from the people who are closest to you
09:09and they kind of push me through all that
09:13and at work even you know my previous bosses like especially Mr. Sudhir
09:24he was my last like boss when I resigned
09:32honestly he gave me the courage to put in my resignation
09:36I had a heart to heart to him and I was like Sudhir I want to do this but I am not sure
09:41and he was like Divya I know that this is what you want to do
09:46why do you not have the confidence in yourself
09:49so he kind of like pumped that into me and said do it
09:52and without these people in my life I don't think I would be able to you know
09:57so it's sometimes because you need that extra courage
10:01you need that extra push from people so that you can go ahead
10:06so I am just now with all these people behind me
10:11all my ammunition ready I am just going to go back to India
10:18and let's see how it goes
10:20so I am just preparing myself for that
10:24you know to take because I need to and once I am back in Kerala
10:28it's just going to be work, work, work, work, work
10:30and so I have got all that ready
10:33and I have already signed up for two movies that is coming up
10:40I mean it's still under the pipeline I can't really speak about it
10:43but then yeah that's coming up
10:45but so I am just preparing mentally that I am going to be
10:49because I honestly staying away from Dubai and staying away from home is not easy
10:55and so that's the kind of preparation that I am just doing
11:03and then because I know it's just going to be constant work
11:06so this is my vacation period for a bit now
11:08and it's going to be work so I am just getting prepared for all that yeah
11:19For more information visit www.FEMA.gov
Comments