Mumbai: The name Flora Saini might not ring a bell but Asha Saini or Lux papa certainly will. Flora, who shot to fame with the song Lux papa from Balakrishna-starrer Narasimha Naidu, had made her debut in Tollywood with Prema Kosam a decade back. After trying her luck in B-town with the Sonu-Nigam starrer Love in Nepal, Flora was busy with movies down South. But she made a comeback in Bollywood with Nagesh Kukunoor’s Lakshmi.
 
Impressed by Flora’s performance, Nagesh offered her a role in his next film, Dhanak. “Initially in Dhanak, I was selected for another role, but Nagesh sir then decided to change it and offered me a prominent character. I play a rural Rajasthani woman. The elaborate make-up, the outfit, I enjoyed everything about the role. I also had to take care of my pet, a camel, and I had heard that camels bite, so that had scared me a little initially,” says Flora.
 
Talking about the plot, she says “Two children plan to meet a superstar, and one of them is visually challenged. Just like the other Nagesh movies, this one too has a deeper meaning. It teaches you how to derive pleasure from little things in life and much more.”
 
Flora Saini to Asha Saini and then Mayuri, what made her change her name so many times? The actress says, “Flora is my real name. My character’s name in my debut film was Asha so the producer had changed my name to Asha Saini. Though the film went on to become a hit, I did not like to be referred as Asha. Later, I consulted an astrologer who asked me to change my name to Mayuri. But now I want to be known as Flora.”