"It has opened doors I couldn’t have opened before,” said Nina Wadia (pictured) referring to the recent honor conferred on her when she was included in the 2021 list of those to be recognized with the prestigious distinction as Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE). A call on her birthday on December 18 announcing that her "services to entertainment and charity” were worthy of an OBE made the UK based actor hang up, assuming it was a prankster. This was followed by a second call from the Cabinet office convincing her that normally the news is intimated to the recipient through an official letter but due to the lockdown it would be conveyed by email. The caller specified though that the news was not to be made public until the government had officially announced the honors list. "The next two weeks were painful” for the elated Wadia had to conceal her joy from family and friends, she recalled in a telephonic chat with Parsiana on January 13, a fortnight after the awards were announced.
"I just wish my parents were alive,” sighed the thespian, knowing that her mother Homai and father Minoo Wadia would have been as proud of her as are her husband Raiomond Mirza and other members of the family and friends. She referred to the continuous stream of letters expressing appreciation and support.
The actor who continues to be associated with her lead roles in the TV series EastEnders and Goodness Gracious Me, although she has put in many memorable performances thereafter, will be featuring in four films due for release in 2021: The Offenders, Cassette, Repeat and The Stranger in our Bed.
"None of us actors could work from March to August 2020 during the lockdown although the worst hit were those in theater,” she pointed out. Among the projects she participated in was the TV mini series Isolation Stories capturing a day in the life of select individuals. Sanitized equipment was left at her doorstep and, under instructions from the director, she had to install the camera, lights, audio equipment at her residence to record the day’s happenings for eight hours. Getting insights into how these technicians operate, Wadia admitted, "My respect for them has gone through the roof.”
With Raiomond being a producer-composer, she also did some voice-over work with him during the pandemic. To keep herself "creatively active,” currently she is creating a series of 30 short 10-15 second videos titled Mutha for Twitter/Instagram to portray the travails and joys of a mother. Her 17-year-old daughter Tia and 13-year-old son Aidan have been assisting her in this venture, she mentioned.
The 52-year-old thespian is particularly happy that the OBE honor "will give me a bigger platform to do charitable work. Now when I approach for funds I can be bolder,” she said. The charities she works for are Barnardo’s, a tribute to her father who as an orphan had to struggle in India; National Kidney Federation, Kidney Research UK and Organ Donations Campaign for National Health Service in memory of her mother who succumbed to kidney complications; the Juvenile Diabetes Research Fund and Diabetes UK to express her solidarity with their efforts after her son was diagnosed with Type I diabetes three years ago; Education Saves Lives that disseminates life-saving information to communities around the world.
She recalled the advice of her late parents: "If success comes your way, make sure you pay back because that is the way forward in life.” Being staunch Zoroastrians, they raised their three children, Keki, Nergish and Nina with the same moral values and codes. Born and brought up in Dadar Parsi Colony until she was nine years old, Nina initially studied at the Bombay Scottish School. Her first passion being dancing, she was enrolled for Vyjantimala’s Bharat Natyam class. The family migrated to Hong Kong once her parents decided to run a restaurant there. It was at Hong Kong’s English School Foundation that she cultivated a love for writing and acting. By the time she was 18 she knew she wanted to pursue a career in acting and with her "great love for Shakespeare” chose to study theater in London. At the end of the first year she started auditioning for different roles and now has nearly three decades of experience with several TV awards including best comedic performance at the 2009 British Soap Awards.
The OBE awards ceremony for the 2021 recipients is expected to take place later in the year at the Buckingham Palace or St James’s Palace once the pandemic eases. Having interacted with members of the Royal family on different occasions whether performing at a birthday celebration for the Queen at Windsor Castle or for Prince Philip at Royal Albert Hall, or making presentations for the Duke of Edinburgh Awards at St James’s Palace along with her husband, Nina acknowledged, "Every time I’ve met the royal family I’ve been struck by how graciously and pleasantly they conduct themselves. They look you in the eye and give you a genuine smile and offer wonderful conversation (see "Royal recognition,” Zoroastrians Abroad, Parsiana, March 21, 2017).”
Alluding to other well-known UK Parsis like Lord Karan Bilimoria and restaurateur Cyrus Todiwala, Nina remarked, "The Parsi community here is so warm and helpful. Everyone is out to help each other.”