Who Really Is lulia Vantur? She Helped Choose The Mayor In Romania, Starred In A Movie With Demi Moore And Was A News Presenter (Exclusive)

If you ask the layman, the most common answer you would hear is that Iulia Vantur is a close friend of Salman Khan. However, unknown to most, Vantur has had a long career as a TV host, not only for entertainment-based programmes but also as a news presenter. Hailing from Romania, she was the host of the popular show Dancing With The Stars, had a political chat show called We're Hiring a Mayor, and also starred in a movie with Hollywood actress Demi Moore.

In a Zoom video interview with The Free Press Journal, the singer, TV host, and actress, whose latest project was Lag Ja Gale from Sikandar, revealed to us her foray into modelling and how her career progressed after that.

Q. How did you get into modelling and hosting TV shows and news?

A. I started modelling at the age of 16 and also became a trainer for models. I was also responsible for the interviews, and that’s how the transition into TV hosting started. When I was in university, my theatre teacher told me that a TV channel was looking for a host. Although I didn’t want to go, on her insistence, I went and got the job. I had my own show with guests for a local television channel. Then, again, there was a casting for the news anchor at the biggest TV channel in Romania, and there were thousands of contestants. Winning that led to my career as a news anchor. I also hosted Dancing with the Stars, the biggest show in Romania, for several years. When working for the local news channel, a few of my colleagues fell sick, and I ended up handling other aspects of the news, such as producing and editing.

Q. You hosted a show called ‘We're Hiring a Mayor’?

A. Oh yes, I forgot... I totally forgot about that! It was very interesting, a political kind of show where all the contestants were invited to a debate.

Q. Has the modelling scene changed since you started off?

A. Yes, I think it's changed a lot. The whole world is changing, including the modelling industry. At that time, we were doing it for passion; there wasn’t any craving for the financial aspect of it. I've lived great experiences doing it, we used to have our girls’ gang, and they were interesting times. Now I think it's more based on the financial aspect of it. From what I see around, that's the difference. But I think the world was different at that time as well, you know?

Q. How did Lag Ja Gale become your choice of song for Sikandar?

A. So, at the beginning of my time spent in India, I heard this song and I fell in love with it. It just got stuck to my heart. I took classes for Indian classical singing, and I remember at the beginning, Palak Munjal used to give me some of the sargams, like the basic ones, and we used to sing together. And that’s how I started singing the song at certain parties and events, and Sajid (Nadiadwala) heard me at one point, which was a few years back. He told me he was going to use the song one day, and I guess he found that moment in Sikandar. I was really happy that I had this opportunity to sing it, even though I must admit I was honestly tense because the original had been sung by the legendary, iconic Lata ji. So, I was a bit scared.

Q. You were part of a movie with Demi Moore. What was that experience like?

A. Oh, my God. You know, everything about me! I really appreciate that you researched all this. Yes, I love the experience. When I was in Romania, I had the great opportunity of being in the same movie with Demi Moore and Josh Hartnett, called Bunraku (2010). I didn't have a direct scene in the movie, but of course, we were all on the set, and I interacted with her, and she was lovely. Demi was amazing, and I love the fact that she has reinvented herself. And you see, now she has a completely different image. Plus, she won accolades at the Golden Globe Awards, Critics' Choice Awards, and Screen Actors Guild Awards for The Substance (2024). She won these awards after a long struggle. So, I love the fact that she never gave up and that great speech she gave. It was really inspiring.