NARGIS FAKHRI WAS at her desi best as she walked the ramp for designer Ritu Kumar on Monday at Lakme Fashion Week (LFW) Winter/Festive 2013.

The actress looked ravishing in a white floor-length anarkali with a thick green and gold border hemline and heavy embroidery on the neck and sleeves. A beautiful ‘maang tika’ and neck piece added to her elegance on the ramp.

The line, inspired by the terrain of the Himalayas, had a mix of western as well as Indian outfits.

The garments ranged from a variety of coats, trousers, leggings, wrap around skirts, jackets, dresses, kaftans and capes, while the Indian segment included anarkalis of various lengths.

WITHOUT A CLUE

Nargis says she was “clueless” after her Bollywood debut Rockstar.

The period of exile after her 2011 debut was confusing for the actress. Filmmaker Imtiaz Ali, Ranbir Kapoor and the rest of the Rockstar team had taken Nargis under their wing. But after the release Nargis found herself isolated and disoriented in a city and profession she knew nothing about.

“I was clueless,” she said.

“It was a disappointing time for me. I couldn’t share it with my mother. Because she would’ve just ordered me home. But there was no dearth of work. I was getting these endorsements, shooting magazine covers. But very frankly, Rockstar was too vast an experience and culturally too distanced from where I come from, for me to handle,” said Nargis, who was born in New York.

“I didn’t understand the culture or the milieu. Just imagine - if tomorrow you’re offered the main lead in a big Chinese film where they tell you, you are the ideal choice. That’s exactly how I felt when I was did Rockstar,” she added.

Nevertheless, the deglamourised role of a war correspondent in the recently released John Abraham-starrer Madras Cafe fitted Nargis’ personality, she believes.

“I was required to speak only in English. My Hindi is still rusty. But at least now I understand it, so when John Abraham speaks to me I am not lost.

“And I got to speak in my voice in Madras Cafe. So it’s one consistent performance visually and vocally. Speaking in someone else’s voice in Rockstar was very confusing for my performance. I should’ve insisted on using my own voice. I guess I am not the kind of who girl who throws a tantrum to get her away,” she said.

What Nargis enjoyed most in Madras Cafe was her role’s minimalist approach.

“The girl I play is a no-nonsense professional. I didn’t have to wear heavy make-up and false eyelashes. I was required to behave as naturally as possible,” she added.