DAY IN THE LIFE OF…..

My name is Manrina Rekhi. I am a dentist. When I was at school I always wanted to become an actor and I started down that pathway by studying drama for A-Level. But I chose to study history, maths and theatre studies. My headmistress took me to the side and said you’re very good at science and art and a nice way of combining the two would be dentistry; so why not consider moving over to do chemistry, maths and biology; and then look in to dentistry. I did some work experience with dentistry and I thought “yeah it is quite creative” and it seemed like an easier choice, with a five year degree.

 

So I changed my A-Level and became a dentist and thought that because I am so creative, cosmetic seemed like the obvious choice for me. I have been doing that for nearly 12 years now. I have always had a sneaky feeling inside me that I wanted to act and I just wanted it to be part of my life; not necessary as a profession, I just didn’t want to let go of it completely because it was something I enjoyed so much. So I was talking to my husband about it and he said you need to pursue that; in his mind he believes that everyone should be doing what they love doing. It didn’t seem like a reality to me because, my family is all academic and I don’t know anyone from the entertainment industry, apart from Rishi, that would know what to do.

 

My parents have always been supportive even though they are much more academic based. They believe that you should do a degree with a job at the end of it, but they would never put me off.

 

The film was shot in June last year and I am very excited about it. It’s a very interesting story which carries a great director and cast that include Nina Wadia, Meera Syal and Karen David. They all have these massive backgrounds in acting, and it was so fantastic to work alongside them. Everyone was so professional and funny.

 

It is very exciting. Just before an audition I get nervous but at the same time I get very excited about it, however, it is a lot harder than being a dentist. As a cosmetic dentist I only have to do about five treatments, which I have been doing for about 12 years so it is easier, I go in, I do my job. It is longer hours but it is exciting. I am happy to have found something in life which has given me so much excitement in life.

 

 

At the moment I work Monday to Wednesday as a dentist and then Thursday to Sunday I spend doing my other commitments; being a wife, the chair of a charity and I sit on the board for the British Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry; which is where I take a lot of my time. An average day however is, I wake up in the morning and I have a drink of lemon water and then I like to use the treadmills. I then check my messages, which have come through overnight. After that I have a shower and then I go to work. After that I go to a gym class with my manager. Once I get back from work, there will usually be some event which  Rishi and I would have to go to. It is hectic.

 

I was invited to join the directors of the British Board of Cosmetic Dentists a couple of years ago. Within the board I took on the role of Chair of Charity. The charity which we are helping at the moment is called Bridge to Aid, which helps impoverished children in Tanzania. I organise charity events every three months. Also, once a year we get dentists to whiten their patients’ teeth; in return we get our patients to make a minimum donation of £150. Last year we raised £10,000. I also completed a self funded trip to Cambodia a few years ago to help impoverished children there.  It was very rewarding.

 

Getting my first job in dentistry, but equally amazing was the first acting role I got in “Love You Soniye.”

 

I am a keen fitness fanatic. I trained as an aerobics instructor whilst at university. There has always been exercise in my life. I also love to read. I quite like to read books I can gain knowledge from. I like to experiment with nutritional foods and drinks; and promoting that amongst my friends and family. I also love to travel, I go away a lot, and every other month we go to a different country; which has made me have an interest in different cultures.

 

 

 

 

I like to start my day off on the treadmill. I like to do different things each day. I do circuit training, boxing and body pumps. This is different to the workout regimes I do at home. I go through different phases in my life with my exercises, but I always like to keep it fair, so that I have all the different parts of my body covered.

 

 

 How thoroughly do you stick to it?

My gym classes at work are set every Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays. I always keep my gym clothes at work with me. I definitely get those three workout days done. With the rest of the week, it depends on what we have going on, although we try and get what we can from the rest of the week. There was a time in my life, after I got married that I stopped going but I started to realise I had to get back to my schedule.

 

It is fantastic. He is very talented. He has this very creative and talented mind. I am really proud of him. Equally, he is an amazing man, kind, generous and wonderful.

 

British acting and Indian acting are very different. With Punjabi movies, the acting is more exaggerated. I take my influences from various favourite Bollywood movies and the way they show these various different emotions.

 

I would love to do something with Bollywood; but I would prefer with the  rightdirector. I have a few projects that I have been contacted for.

 

Ideally this would be Rishi but I don’t see that happening! But I would love to be part of a Yash Raj Production. They are so beautiful!