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Conquering new skies

A Beauty for all seasons: Actor-model Shivani Wazir.

From embellishing the ramp to anchoring India’s first travel show, the talented and gorgeous actor-dancer Shivani Wazir has quite literally come a long way. Madhur Tankha catches the glamorous and socially responsible sides of her persona.

Life has turned a full circle for the talented Shivani Wazir. After having done modelling, dancing, television and even films, the former Miss India World is doing theatre again.

With her play “Karna, Warrior of the Sun” due to be staged at the Siri Fort auditorium in South Delhi from July 25 to August 8, Shivani is busy juggling the roles of producer and actor as she gives finishing touches to the drama piece.  220;I am playing Draupadi in this play written by Farooq Dhondy. The story is embellished with meticulously crafted digital imagery, music and martial art,” says Shivani, who has acted in several well-known theatrical productions including “Dance Like a Man,” “Where There’s a Will” and “Bravely Fought The Queen.”

Reminiscing about her school days in Delhi, Shivani reveals that she once acted in a play in which Shah Rukh Khan, who hadn’t made it to films then, also played a part. “The play was directed by Barry John. My big break came while my play ‘Dance Like A Man’ was staged and Aditya Chopra along with Shah Rukh and Gauri, who used to be my classmate, attended. After watching my performance, Adi offered me a role in his film, ‘Dil To Pagal Hai.’ I play the role of Madhuri Dikshit’s friend who advises her on love and life in the movie, which went on to be a blockbuster.”

While growing up, Shivani also forayed into the world of fashion. “When I was a scrawny teenybopper, fashion designer Ritu Kumar decided to take me under her wings. Besides modelling for Ritu, I also did ramp shows for Bina Ramani and Rohit Bal. Then I was crowned Miss India Worldwide in 1991 and got to travel abroad.”

Besides fashion, Shivani was also interested in dance and theatre that eventually led her to take up a career on the small screen. “I got the big break in television when I was asked to do a programme on fashion, beauty and fitness in the early 1990s. So for the first time, a serial on the glitzy world of fashion was aired on an Indian television channel. ‘Khoobsurat’ on Zee TV took viewers to fashion shows where until then only about 100 privileged guests were invited.”

Later Shivani started learning classical dance from Guru Durgacharan Ranbir in Orissa, but as luck would have it she got a hard-to-refuse offer to host a travel show on television.

Working with Anu Malhotra in “Namaste India” on Zee TV that showcased the rich diversity of the country was a dream come true for Shivani. “Doing the travel show was a fabulous experience for me. Anu assigned me the demanding job of a host because he felt that I had the ability to communicate with the audience in a special way.”

The actor shares her experience of anchoring the show “A lot of research and flipping through travelogues went into this show. For viewers, it was a refreshing experience to watch the bustling bazaars, lesser known places and hill stations.”

Shivani recalls being treated like a privileged guest by the hospitality industry. “As we were the first to venture on uncharted territory, the hotel staff and airlines crew indulged us completely. In Udaipur, they had stocked our refrigerators with champagne and were so generous in their hospitality.”

Shivani has been courting the camera not just for professional reasons but also to raise awareness about social problems. To support the cause of the girl child, Shivani made a short film “Girls are Gold” in which she interviewed Bollywood actor Hema Malini and Esha Deol besides a host of women achievers.

“While filming, I realised that the girl child was not being discriminated in poverty stricken areas alone and that the elite were also guilty of committing the same sin,” says Shivani.

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