So you want to be television’s Katrina Kaif?

So what gives TV an edge over Bollywood for these crossover starlets? “The good thing about TV shows is that the characters last for a long time. With a movie,once the shoot is canned,there is a limited shelf-life. Also I didn’t want to do any item numbers,” says Zoutewelle,also a passionate jazz and salsa dancer.

Moreover with A-list film stars such as Amitabh Bachchan,Salman Khan,Aamir Khan and Anil Kapoor taking up television assignments,the small screen has turned mega.

Bigg Boss Season 7 sensation,Avram always wanted to be a Bollywood diva while growing up in Stockholm,Sweden. The 23-year-old Greek-Swedish actor learnt kathak and Bharatanatyam at an early age and studied Hindi at the local university. “My parents told me that in order to achieve something I have to work towards it. So everything I did as a child was towards realising my dream of working in a Bollywood film,” she says,while breaking into a sentence of Hindi every now and then. Though she is still recovering from her eviction from Bigg Boss Season 7 last weekend,she says,“I enjoyed it a lot. I am missing it”. Even though she made her acting debut with a Bollywood project,Mickey Virus,starring newcomer Manish Paul,it was Bigg Boss that catapulted her to fame and got her loads of attention from Salman Khan. Avram says,“The show has done a lot for me and has given me recognition. Lately I have begun to understand that TV is a huge thing. So when I was offered the show I was very confused because Bollywood has always been my dream,” says Avram,who missed the release of Mickey Virus because India kept voting for her week after week in the reality show.

For Step Up 3D-fame actor,Gottlieb,who featured on the Indian dance reality show Jhalak Dikhlaa Jaa,entering the show was more about exploring the Indian market. “By being in a new country,it was a great way to get to know my fans and vice versa,” says Gottlieb,who previously participated in the American reality show,So You Think You Can Dance.

Remo D’Souza,who signed Gottlieb for his film ABCD: Any Body Can Dance,and supported her appointment for Jhalak Dikhla Jaa,feels that there is a lot of work in the industry and “hence the demand and corresponding supply of international talent”. Paul,on the other hand,who has worked with Avram in Mickey Virus and Gottlieb in Jhalak… says that Katrina Kaif’s success in Bollywood has triggered a herd mentality among newcomers from abroad to make a name for themselves in Indian cinema and TV. But on a more professional level,Paul says,“It’s the attitude and temperament of Lauren and Ellie that multiplies their opportunities and fan following in India.” It’s not easy to crack a new industry,especially when you don’t know the working language. Credit then goes to the dedication of these girls. “The international talent come trained and throw no tantrums. They are extremely disciplined and hardworking,and that creates more demand and in turn,supply,” says filmmaker Vinta Nanda.

In recent times,Colors has led the race for casting international female actors in shows such as Bigg Boss,Jhalak Dikhla Jaa and 24. However,Manisha Sharma,Weekend Programming Head,Colors,claims this wasn’t planned. “There is no particular strategy of casting. Engaging with international artistes for a show is not pre-decided. We start working on different concepts for shows and then take a call on a healthy mix of artistes who fit the role. It could be an international face or a local face. They are selected on the basis of their ability to step into the shoes of the character required,like Sapna Pabbi (Kiran on 24). The primary criteria is that the person should be an entertainer and have the ability to garner mass appeal,” says Sharma.

Speaking of the London-bred Pabbi,she was fed on a rich diet of Bollywood and Sunday mornings of Mahabharat. “I can recite the Mahabharat and films such as Khoon Bhari Maang,” she quips,in a thick British-English accent,which is in stark contrast to her perfect Hindi diction. More than the fame,Pabbi feels it’s the cultural connect for many Non-Resident Indians that makes them want to come to India. “People like my father feel safer sending their kids to work in this industry,for it is home to them,” she reasons.

On a closer look,many observe a trend of casting only female actors,which,they feel,is driven by the need to satisfy the industry’s appetite for glamour and style. So when D’Souza cast Gottlieb in ABCD,he was feeding that appetite by sticking to that format. “Initially,Western dancers were getting work on Indian shows and films. These were very good looking,talented girls who came here picturing Katrina Kaif as their role model,” he says,adding,“I had seen Gottlieb on a US reality dance show,and I needed someone who could dance at that level.” Some producers,however,cite practical reasons such as the design of the script to cast international female actors. For instance,Vipul Shah,producer of Firangi Bahu,was looking for a “firang girl with an Indianness about her”. That is ironic,since Zoutewelle is fair,blonde-haired in real life and her character has a peculiar Hindi accent and does not become Indian just by donning a sari. After auditioning 35 actors for the role of bahu,Shah says,he chose Zoutewelle,not because of her looks but “because she had the spark and an enduring quality,which would make her grow on the audience.”

Nanda,who runs the Asian Centre for Entertainment and Education,cites a reason for the trend of female-only actors,saying,“No one knew the girl from Love Aaj Kal was Brazilian model Giselle Monteiro till they revealed her real identity. Girls have a tendency to blend in faster.”

Meanwhile,the actors have adapted well to life in India and even converse in Hindi fluently. Zoutewelle narrates an incident when a Mumbai taxi driver was taking her to the wrong place and passing sly remarks in Hindi thinking she did not understand anything. “But then I scolded him in Hindi and he was stunned,” she says.