Sofia Hayat is a British Asian actress, model and singer, who worked on both British and Indian projects. In July 2012, Hayat was named the new “Curvy Icon” by Vogue Italia. In September 2013, Hayat named on the FHM sexiest women in the world list.
Hayat first came to public attention on Satellite Channel, Zee TV, where she hosted her own TV show for 3 years starting in 2003. The show became a cult favourite amongst young British Asians. She holds a BA (Hons) in Music and Performing Arts, and has studied acting for 7 years in total, including the Meisner Technique, which she is a huge fan of. She has been instructed under David Schwimmer, famously from the American TV show Friends.
Sofia plays the piano to grade 7. She can also play the recorder, is a keen sword fighter, and has practised the martial art, Krav Maga. Sofia has appeared in numerous TV Advertising campaigns for big international brands like Walkers Crisps, McDonalds, and was the first model/actor who featured in the campaign for Timotei hair shampoo, a brand well known for hair products for blondes. This was the first time they shot with a brunette from Indian origin.
She started acting professionally at 16, where she landed her first role with the BBC on the hit show, “Absolute Power”, where she starred alongside Stephen Fry. (V for Vendetta)She then went on to star in the BAFTA award winning show Fur TV, where she played a Latino with a Brazilian accent. The show was an international success and has been translated in over 5 different languages.
Sofia is also a singer, and released her album Dishonoured, in 2011. She has also sang at the Royal Albert Hall, and has sung Jazz with India’s legend, Louiz Banks, who has performed with Herbie Hancock. For her first Bollywood film, Sofia had to learn Hindi, as she did not speak it, however she did understand some, and took on classes and watched films to perfect the language. It was initially decided that her voice would be dubbed in her first film, but after spending 3 months in India, the producer and Director agreed that Sofia should dub her own voice.
Sofia also hosted and judged India’s most watched TV show on Disney UTV Bindass, called “Superdude.” She has achieved a number of awards in India for acting and singing, and currently splits her time between UK and India.
Sofia Hayat a British Asian actress, model and singer. She is rated by FHM as one of top 100 sexiest women in the world. She is in conversation with Namita Nayyar, President Women Fitness.
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All Written Content Copyright © 2016 Women Fitness
Ms. Namita Nayyar: Your career in modelling, acting and singing started when you were a teenager. Your acting career began in 2003 when you starred in “Absolute Power” with Stephen Fry. Later your acting and modeling career propelled to the height where you have been at the top of the world of acting and glamour modeling and has also being featured in FHM, GQ, and Vogue. Tell us something about this fairy tale journey?
Ms. Sofia Hayat: I think at the beginning of my journey, I faced a huge amount of set backs, knock backs, and rejection. When I got my first job with Stephen Fry, I was almost waiting for someone to say, we have the wrong girl, and send me home!
As far as being voted one of the sexiest women in the world, I guess, i do enjoy it. When I was at school, I was bullied, and the girls used to say to me, “you are so ugly no guy will ever want you”.
I always believe in myself, even though others did not I guess.If you work hard with morality and honesty, then you can succeed! I am very blessed and worked really hard for what I have achieved.
Ms. Namita Nayyar: You move between UK and India for your professional career. For an actor to adjust to new countries with their own cultures it must be difficult and then to adjust with acting career in a new foreign land, what advice you can give to fellow actresses in a similar situation?
Ms. Sofia Hayat: My advice would be to just enjoy it! There are always challenges wherever you go for work. But if you love what you do and work hard, it does not matter which country you are in. It can get a little lonely, especially when the only people you surround yourself with are in the industry, so, I always did some charity work to ground me, like helping in dog shelters, or working with women’s rights groups. I also meditate to ground me, to focus me and to lose any fear.
Ms. Namita Nayyar: How has your educational background of BA (Hons) in Music and Performing Arts and studying acting for seven years, including the Meisner Technique has been a catalyst in your professional success as an actress and as a singer?
Ms. Sofia Hayat: My education has helped immensely. It gave me the tools I needed to be confident enough in my art. I wasn’t a catalyst, but it certainly helped.
Ms. Namita Nayyar: You are leading media personality, model, film actress, television actress, singer, piano artist and a writer. How you manage such a remarkable multi-dimensional lifestyle?
Ms. Sofia Hayat: To me art is art. Some people are just singers, or just actors, and that’s great. But I am a complete artist. If I write a song, I automatically see a video in my head. Presenting, which is where my career started, was just me being me, and I’m a people’s person, and I like to have fun. I love to entertain. I love making people happy, and it’s equally rewarding to me.
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Ms. Namita Nayyar: What exercises comprise your fitness regime or workout routine you may wish to share. Do you take some special diet or have a strict menu that you follow to remain healthy and physically fit?
Ms. Sofia Hayat: I love bikram yoga, it de stresses and detoxes me as well as being great for my body. I also train with a personal trainer at The Harbour club in Chelsea. We work with very heavy weights. My body is very strong and toned. I also love to play polo, which is not only a great body toner, but gets out any stress I may have. I also love doing a sport where I am connected to such a magnificent and powerful animal. It’s like me and the horse are untouchable!
Food also plays a big part in my training. I try to avoid simple carbs. I like to eat fresh food, and cook myself. I also make my own kefir, great for over all health and digestion.
My typical day would be:
- Breakfast. Porridge or egg white omelette
- Snack one piece of fruit
- Lunch either a huge fruit platter, or fish with veggies.
- Snack. Handful of nuts
- Dinner. Fish or meat with veggies or quinoa with aduki beans and tuna
Ms. Namita Nayyar: You have glowing skin and gorgeous hair. Do you take some kind of skin treatment to keep it young and glowing and secondly what you do to your hair to make them look so stunning?
- Increases blood flow to the skin!
- I keep my skin routine simple.
- A simple moisturiser and cleanser.
- I never sleep with makeup on!
I use Orbie products on my hair and put olive oil in my hair once a week, I leave it overnight. This nourishes my hair and stops it getting dry. When I’m on a film set, they use so many products, driers and tongs, I need to put back in the moisture and oil.
Ms. Namita Nayyar: Tell us about your experience of working as an actress in “Absolute Power”, with Stephen Fry. You also went on to do roles in Footballers Wives Extra Time, Waterloo Road for the BBC, and starred in films, Cash and Curry and The Unforgettable. Which has been your most memorable experience working in them which you wish to share?
Ms. Sofia Hayat: They are all memorable. My most memorable project though, had to be “the Unforgettable”. It was my first lead role in a big movie, and we were shooting in Mauritius. I fell in love with the country and the role. The script was so beautifully written and the story both beautiful and poignant. It was a love story, with a twist. It took me a year to get the character out of me. I became her, and it was a little dangerous for me to act that way with this character, but I love immersing myself into the character.
Ms. Namita Nayyar: How did you feel on being selected as one of the FHM 100 Sexiest Women in the world 2013?
Ms. Sofia Hayat: Humbled..I ranked higher than Sofia Vergara and Kim Kardashian! So yes, I was honoured! Both of those women are super hot!
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Ms. Namita Nayyar: Advice and motivational words to the inspiring and budding fashion model girls, who all are your fans and shall like to know from you for their climb to the ladder of success in the field of modeling?
Ms. Sofia Hayat: Work hard, know your skill, stay motivated. Success does not come quickly to everyone, I know I worked for years with rejections and put downs, but don’t let that put you off. Keep going, believe in yourself. Stay grounded, look after yourself, and have fun.
Ms. Namita Nayyar: Your wrote a book titled “Dishonoured” with Blake publishing, and released your music album by the same name in 2009. Tell us about this endeavor of your? Both of these were about my life, my struggle to become who I am today, the trials I faced, and the successes that arose.
Ms. Sofia Hayat: They are like my little babies. I am so proud of my album and book. Both inspired other people and I was inspired to write both the album and the book, by my fans, my troubles and to give a strong message to those who have faced tumultuous periods of life.
They are both about me rising like a Phoenix from the ashes. We can all do it!
Ms. Namita Nayyar: You have a keen interest as a sword fighter, and has practised the martial art, Krav Maga. Tell us about this expertise of yours?
Ms. Sofia Hayat: I love martial arts! I trained as a fencer and had a personal trainer who taught me kraft magazine, which I loved! More recently, I shot for The midnight Beast for E4 , where I was trained by Angelina Jolie’s stunt coordinator on tomb raider. It was intense work, and it ended up with bruises all over my arm, but I loved it.
Ms. Namita Nayyar: You have done bold photo shoots FHM, GQ, Vogue and other magazines. How you are so body confident and advice to your compatriots?
Ms. Sofia Hayat: We are all different shapes and sizes. Sexiness is not about having a thigh gap, or a size 0 waist. Look at Kim Kardashian, Sofia Vergara, Marilyn Monroe. For me sexiness is about your attitude, and being comfortable in your own skin, whether you are a size 0 or a 16.
Stay healthy, smile and love yourself!
Ms. Namita Nayyar: With exceptional hard work you are credited with all your achievements. Do you believe that does the hand of Providence (Supreme Being) played a role in your success?
Ms. Sofia Hayat: I do believe in a higher energy, I am a catholic, but mostly a spiritualist. I have Ganesh, Buddha and Jesus in my house. I believe we ourselves are higher beings, and if we just loved ourselves a bit more and realised how amazing we are as we are, then everything is possible.
Ms. Namita Nayyar: What you wish to say about the website Womenfitness.net and message for its visitors?
Ms. Sofia Hayat: Each second of your life is a gift, each step a privilege. Lose fear created by others and society, and live in the present. We allow the past to shadow our minds, we worry about the future.
Try being where you are right now. See it touch it, breathe it, own it. Life is now.
Women Fitness Team thanks Sofia Hayat for giving her valuable time for this interview and quenching the thirst of her fans to know more about her and also wish to thank Emma Hadley Director & Publicist Unleashed PR Ltd who made this interview happen.
To know more about Sofia Hayat, check out at: http://www.sofiahayat.co.uk/
To know latest about her onher social network, check out at:
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All content on this site is copyright of Women Fitness and no part of any article found on this site may be reproduced without an express permission and highlighted, do follow link crediting http://www.womenfitness.net/ or preferably the original page as the source. This interview is exclusive and taken by Namita Nayyar President womenfitness.net and should not be reproduced, copied or hosted in part or full anywhere without an express permission.
All Written Content Copyright © 2016 Women Fitness