Disha Patani reveals it wasn’t her ‘dream’ to become an actor: ‘I wanted to be an Air Force pilot’

Actor Disha Patani has revealed that it was never her ‘dream’ to choose the profession she is currently in. In a new interview, Disha said that she wanted to become a pilot in the Indian Air Force. She also said how she went from pursuing engineering to becoming a model.

Disha Patani made her debut in films with the Telugu movie Loafer (2015) opposite Varun Tej. She made her Bollywood debut with the sports biopic MS Dhoni: The Untold Story (2016). Disha has also featured in Baaghi 2 (2018), Bharat (2019) and Malang (2020). She has also starred in the action-comedy Kung Fu Yoga (2017).

In an interview with Bazaar India, Disha said, “Funnily, it was never my dream to become an actor. I wanted to be an Air Force pilot and was pursuing engineering. During college in Lucknow, one of my friends told me about a modelling contest that took all the winners to Mumbai. And who didn’t want to travel to Mumbai? I applied and ended up winning (in 2013)… From there, I was spotted by an agency, but since I couldn’t fulfil my college’s minimum attendance requirement while modelling, I decided to continue walking the ramp… It allowed me to be independent, earn for myself, and not rely on my family.”

“As a child, I didn’t have many friends because I was too shy to even have a conversation. I am still the same person, but much more confident. It’s hard for people to imagine that those in the film industry, which is otherwise so loud and boisterous, could be introverted. But being an actor doesn’t mean one has to socialise all the time. It is important to be yourself and do what makes you feel comfortable and is right for you. I suppose I’m just your regular girl-next-door,” she also added.

Disha was last seen in Radhe: Your Most Wanted Bhai. She recently completed shooting for the upcoming action-drama Yodha. The film also stars Sidharth Malhotra and Raashii Khanna in lead roles.

Backed by Karan Johar’s Dharma Productions and Shashank Khaitan’s newly-minted banner Mentor Disciple Films, Yodha is being helmed by Pushkar Ojha and Sagar Ambre. It will release in theatres on November 11, 2022.

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Disha also has Ekta Kapoor’s KTina and Ek Villain Returns in the pipeline. Ek Villain Returns also stars John Abraham, Tara Sutaria, and Arjun Kapoor in lead roles. Directed by Mohit Suri, the film is being jointly produced by Bhushan Kumar’s T-Series and Ekta Kapoor’s Balaji Telefilms.