Girl power

When she walks into the cafe,Bruna Abdullah almost brings the sunshine in with her. Dressed in jeans and a funky,floral top,the leggy model is all smiles a sharp contrast with the grey clouds looming outside.

When she walks into the cafe,Bruna Abdullah almost brings the sunshine in with her. Dressed in jeans and a funky,floral top,the leggy model is all smiles a sharp contrast with the grey clouds looming outside. When the weather is so bad,I like to wear something colourful, she chirps. But she still keeps her black blazer on. Its just too cold inside all these malls and restaurants, she complains.

Wed been waiting to meet the Brazilian model for nearly a week,but shes been busy with work on the upcoming release of her debut film,I Hate Luv Storys. She finally meets us at Cafe Bespoke at The Collective,located in the Palladium. Shes thoroughly charmed by the idea of a cafe located inside a store. Its lovely, she exclaims,looking at the stained glass windows. But I wonder how many people manage to find their way in. I almost couldnt. Once shes settled down in her chair and placed her order of pasta (You know why I wanted to meet you in a restaurant? Because Im such a foodie, she exclaims),she begins to tell us why she loves being in Mumbai.

This city has given me a lot. Ill tell you frankly that I came here so that I could support my family, she says. Her family was not very well-off and she wanted to buy her parents a house and give her sister a good education. Ive worked hard and made use of every opportunity that came my way. That certainly is truenot only has the 23-year-old walked the runway,shes also hosted a show on Channel V called Indias Hottest,participated in the reality adventure show Khatron Ke Khiladi and is getting set to be splashed across big screens in India with Dharma Productions next. My agency kept telling me to try out for movies, she reveals,I really didnt want to do films and so when Punit Malhotra requested that I audition for a role in his film,I initially went only so that I could show him how bad I was, she laughs. But fate had something else in store Malhotra loved her and asked her to be in his debut movie.

So why did she agree to be part of it? I took it up as a challenge, Abdullah states,Im really shy,so acting in front of so many strangers was intimidating. I risked falling flat on my face. As she gleefully poses with the mannequins in the store and checks out the sunglasses,its hard to believe that she could be shy. But I am. Im comfortable now only because there are so few of us here, she exclaims. But the first-time actor says that shooting turned out to be fun. I was already friends with Sonam (Kapoor) and Imran (Khan) is such a cool guy. She,however,had to work really hard at remembering her lines. I still struggle with Hindi, she admits,before proudly saying,You know,I didnt use a coach. I taught myself,by watching movies,how to speak in Hindi.

As she toys with a Lulu Guinness clutch,she reveals that shes nervous about her Bollywood debut. But shes 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. I understand how they felt, she sighs. I dont regret any of my career decisions so farall my experiences have given me some valuable lesson. I wouldnt change a thing about my life, she declares.

Leisure time
Cycling
Swimming
Roller Skating
Watching movie
Chilling out at home

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Girl power

When she walks into the cafe,Bruna Abdullah almost brings the sunshine in with her. Dressed in jeans and a funky,floral top,the leggy model is all smiles  a sharp contrast with the grey clouds looming outside.

When she walks into the cafe,Bruna Abdullah almost brings the sunshine in with her. Dressed in jeans and a funky,floral top,the leggy model is all smiles a sharp contrast with the grey clouds looming outside.