In a recent video clip released on Instagram, Bollywood actor and dancer Nora Fatehi opened up about her Muslim practices. The Canadian-Moroccan Street Dancer 3D actor revealed that she has been fasting since the age 14, a habit that was ingrained in her by her parents from a young age.
Remarking on the heightened sense of intuition she feels both during and after the sacred month of Ramazan, Fatehi said fervently, “I fast every day, even though I’m working. I never break my fast. I always keep it going. [Ramazan] is a great time for me to become disciplined and more spiritual. It’s my duty.”
According to the actor, fasting as a part of her faith is non-negotiable, and something she needs to balance with the demands of her profession. “I have to do it,” she repeated. “I have to be spiritually inclined and respectful to my religion - but I still have to go to work! So why do I have to choose [either] this or this?”
Fatehi went on to explain that she pushes through with both spiritual and worldly aspects of her life, and balances her religious obligations with her career. “A part of my job is to be physically active as a performer, but that doesn’t mean I break my fast. Fasting is a duty, and it can be fulfilled alongside your other commitments.”
As well as fasting, Fatehi also highlighted the importance of praying in separate clip, and the significance the daily act has in her life. Elaborating on the calming effect of regular prayer, the actor added, “When you go into your zone of connecting with your creator, whoever that is for you, you’re in a different realm, spiritually and mentally."
Commenting on how the simple act allows her to take a small break, Fatehi continued, "What’s so beautiful about praying five times a day is that, in the chaos of the world, there’s two minutes when you stop and you thank your creator.”
Since embarking on her Bollywood career in 2014, Fatehi has carved a niche for herself as a dancer across Indian cinema. Her recent religious revelations have struck a chord in her followers, although others on social media have been more cynical and questioned the seeming dissonance between Fatehi’s showbiz career and her religiosity.
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