With courage in her words and confidence in her walk, Malina Joshi had proudly represented Nepal in Miss World 2011 after winning the title of Miss Nepal the same year. As an actor too she quickly proved to be versatile and talented. Her impressive performances in movies like Ritu and Jhumkee quickly gained her recognition in the Nepali film industry. At the present, this beauty with brains is trying to redefine the role of an actress in Nepali movies through good and influential work. The Week’s Swasti Gautam met up with Joshi to talk to her about life so far and find out what inspires her and, in the process, also got her to share some secrets.

Has acting always been your passion?
As a child I loved watching movies. Karishma Kapoor, a Bollywood actress and Karishma Manandhar were my favorite artists. But my aim was to become an airhostess as I found that job extremely amusing. I coveted the feeling of being able to fly from one place to the other in a job. As I grew older, I wanted to become the face of the nation. In other words, I worked really hard to become Miss Nepal. The love for acting gradually developed with time and I’m glad I pursued this career. 

What do you do when you get time away from work?
I like keeping myself busy because I love my work. Otherwise, I just wander around the city, which is one of my favorite hobbies.  I also give myself some time to reflect back on my actions and understand where I am heading with my career. As I get extremely busy these days, I prefer resting at home and surfing the internet in my leisure time. 

Can you tell us about a memorable moment from the past?
I will always cherish the moment I was crowned Miss Nepal. That, I must say, was the happiest day of my life. Being selected to perform a Nepali folk dance on the last day of Miss World was also one of my greatest achievements. To represent Nepali culture in a prestigious international platform was a moment of great pride. Along with that, I was also on the top thirty of Beauty With a Purpose title, one of the major events at Miss World. The greatest lesson I have learnt in my life is to work hard. I also encourage everyone to put in the best of their efforts in everything they pursue. If you give in your best, life will not fail to reward you in one way or the other.

Modeling, acting, or dancing; which one is your favorite? 
All three have their own different charms. It is very difficult for me to pick one. But my recent favorite definitely has to be acting. I say so because I prefer jobs where creativity is recognized.  To sustain yourself in this industry you have to constantly be innovative, and that is exciting and challenging at the same time. Acting helps you refine your talent and it pushes you beyond your capacity so that the audience gets to see something new each time.

Who is your favorite co-star?
Manish Sunder is my inspiration and my favorite co-stars. Working with him is not only fun but productive as well. As a co-star, he is extremely supportive. He praises me when I do well and he does not hesitate to correct me if I go wrong. If we have a scene together, we discuss about the details of the scene and try to improvise on it. That, I guess, helps us in expanding our potential that is clearly visible on screen. 

Which do you feel has been your best performance in a movie till date?
As an artist it is imperative to give justice to your role and your character. In my first movie Ritu, I was Meena and I think that has been my best performance so far. A fun fact, the personality of Meena in the movie is exactly like my own in real life. That is why I feel my performance in that movie was natural and impressive. Ritu was my first movie so I used to be really excited every time I was on set. I was a bit apprehensive about the end result because I was just testing the waters there. The combination of excitement and uncertainty made that character a memorable one. 

Can you tell us a little about your upcoming movie Sanrakshan?
The movie is a political drama that depicts the present political situation and the conflict between various communities in Nepal. The best part about Sanrakshan is most definitely the storyline. I also think the movie is presented really well and the uniqueness of the storyline will make it an interesting watch. I hope the audience will find the movie insightful and entertaining as we have put in a lot of hard work to bring it to the big screen. 

 
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