Luck by chance

I make my Hindi film debut with Girish Maliks Jal. In the movie,I star opposite Purab Kohli and my characters name is Kim. Jal talks about the crisis posed by the drying-up of the Narmada river.

Casting-coup

Malik approached me for the role. I had met him before for another film,but that movie never took off. I was then called for a look-test and an audition. Jal happened to me by chance. When I was approached for the film I was not even looking out for work here. But I am happy that I got a chance to work in a Hindi film.

Stepping-stone

I was born in Russia and spent most of my teenage years in Malta before stepping into the modelling field. I then moved to London where I attended a couple of acting workshops. I decided to shift base to India for my modelling assignments. I have modelled for brands like Bel Monte and Formula One Force India. When I came to India I attended Anupam Khers acting school,Actor Prepares. But I honestly do not think that one can learn acting in a school. Its not like learning Mathematics or Physicsits an art. I have also done a few commercials. But right now acting is my priority.

First shot

We were shooting at Kutch in Gujarat and it was extremely hot there. We had to shoot in the desert and the shot was very tough. Nobody in the team knew how the shot was going to pan out as it was their first day of shoot. But after a couple of takes I got the shot right.

Lessons learnt

If you need to survive in Bollywood then you have to work really hard. The industry is very professional and the cinema here is larger than life. When the audience watches a film,they dont know the hard work that the actors actually put in.

Stumbling-block

We had to shoot at Kutch,where the temperature was 47 degrees,for 40 days at a stretch. The toughest part was riding a camel. When I sat on it,I was very scared and thought that I would fall down. There were a couple of action scenes in the film and that was a challenge too.

Matinee idol

I do not really look up to any actor in Bollywood as I think that every person is different. The secret of being a good actor is to have your own personality and be who you are. I like Madonna as a performer; she is a great woman. I liked Penelope Cruz in Pirates Of The Carribean- On Stranger Tides. I like Nicole Kidmans body of work too.

Future projects

I am in talks with a couple of directors and I have also started reading scripts. I have a lot of expectations from Jal as I have worked very hard and I hope that it pays off.