Brazil to Bollywood

The 23-year-old has walked the runway,hosted a show called India’s Hottest on Channel V and participated in a reality show Khatron Ke Khiladi . “My agency kept telling me to try out movies,” she says,“But I really didn’t want to do films. When Punit Malhotra requested that I audition for a role in his film,I went only to show him how bad I was!” But Malhotra loved her and asked her to be a part of his debut film by Dharma Productions.

“I then took it up as a challenge,” Abdullah says,“Acting in front of so many strangers was intimidating. I risked falling flat on my face.” As she poses with the mannequins in a Mumbai store and checks out the sunglasses,she says shooting turned out to be fun. “I was already friends with Sonam (Kapoor),and Imran (Khan) is such a cool guy.” She had to work hard at remembering the lines though. “I still struggle with my Hindi,” she says,“You know,I didn’t use a language coach. I taught myself how to speak in Hindi by watching movies,.”

As she toys with a Lulu Guinness clutch,she says she’s nervous about her debut and how she’s overcome a lot of obstacles to be where she is. “When I came here,the other models were so unfriendly because they thought I was a threat to their livelihood,” she says. “I don’t regret any of my career decisions so far — all my experiences have given me some valuable lesson. I wouldn’t change a thing about my life.”