PANAJI: Mayanka Pereira always dreamt of flying high. After her stint in the aviation industry, the girl followed her passion and is now set to make her debut in Bollywood.
Mayanka gained worldwide recognition after modelling for three years and then switched to acting.
The Orlim-based girl always loved movies. To pursue her dreams, Mayanka quit the aviation industry and moved to Mumbai to make a name in Hindi cinema. Little did she know her childhood dream of being an airhostess and also an actress will be fulfilled in a short span of time.
As India is returning to normalcy and cinemas now reopened, it has come as a sigh of relief for Mayanka ahead of her debut film which will be release on the big screen this week.
The project that is all set to release in Uttar Pradesh on October 1 and in New Delhi the following day. Mayanka plays the role of a village girl ‘Aditi’ in the film ‘Safaibaaz – The Scavenger’. It is a tribute to those who have sacrificed their lives to keep society clean and healthy but unfortunately their sacrifices have gone unsung and unhonoured.
“The movie is about the struggle faced by sanitation workers, drainage or sewer line cleaners who even meet their death while cleaning a gutter. Unlike western countries where cleaning is mechanized, the sanitation workers in India work using their hands or manual scavenging at the cost of their lives,” said the 26-year-old.
The film stars legendary Bollywood stars like Johny Lever, Rajpal Yadav, Ravi Kishan and Upasna Sen.
Nothing came easy for Mayanka and she had to work hard for it.
Born on January 26, 1995, in South Goa, Mayanka, with her inclination towards music and glamour, started her career as a model. However, in search for financial stability, she later went on to be an air hostess for three years at Singapore Airlines. This gave her a good exposure and confidence to try out something new.
The model turned actor has won many fashion shows which include the title of Mega Model 2014 where she emerged as Miss Goa finalist. She has worked in Konkani dramas for famous director Francis De Tuem and done nearly 100 shows.
Mayanka didn’t stop there. She went on to feature in a couple of web series, music videos and short films. After her initial success, Mayanka was convinced that she could make it big and wanted to pursue a career in acting.
Soon, Mayanka attended a three-month acting course at Asrani Venkateshwara Acting Media Institute in Mumbai. It was only through auditions and contacts she managed to get herself a role in Eros Now’s Hindi web series Date Gone Wrong – Season 3. After which she featured in rapper and singer Harshit Tomar’s Punjabi music video from T-series which managed to garner over 10 million views.
With so much to her credit, Mayanka has now managed to get another feather to her hat as she ventures into Bollywood.
“I used to go on the set everyday with an agenda to learn something new, do something new, be the best and impress my director. We began shooting this film in January 2020 and I am looking forward to the release. I hope people will watch the film as it is a paisa vasool movie and an out and out comedy. Johny Lever is so good that he just reads the script and enacts it so well that one cannot hold back their laughter,” said Mayanka.
