International import Elena Kazan's a desi girl at heart

The Bollywood newbie with German-Russian ancestry will be seen romancing Randeep Hooda in her next film. In a candid chat with CS, Elena shares her thoughts on being a newbie and sharing the screen with Naseeruddin Shah.

Elena Kazan Pic/ Nimesh Dave

Not a misfit
The most encouraging part about working in an Indian film is that you can always fit in. Being a fair-skinned girl, I don't always have to play a foreigner. I've auditioned for roles of a Muslim girl from the North, and I'm sure there's possibility of essaying someone with a Parsi or an Anglo-Indian background. In fact, I'm playing a Kashmiri in an upcoming Bengali film. Indian canvas is very accommodating. Of course, I don't see myself playing a typical village girl. It would look so unreal (smiles).

Plan B
If I weren't an actress, I would have been a documentary filmmaker. I've always been interested in documenting and photography. I spend quite a lot of time on parkour training, pole-dancing and learning how to play a guitar. The very reason why I moved to India is because I love Indian cinema. Language hasn't been an issue so far because I prepare myself well. I'm also taking Urdu lessons. Having heard the sort of Hindi that's spoken elsewhere, I must say the Hindi spoken in Mumbai sounds terrible.

Best and worst
The best thing about Bollywood is that it's so unpredictable. Anything can happen at any given time. Out of the blue, you'll get in touch with a filmmaker with a script you'd die to be a part of. On the contrary, you also come across people who don't value their words and take your time for granted. That can be very disappointing.

Sigh of relief
I neither worry about the post-production nor the date on which a film finally releases. I believe if it has to come out, it will. After all, it's the producers' call -- not mine. In any case, I have little control over it.u00a0Having said that, it's exciting to know that I've got two films up for release this month. I'd love to know how the common public reacts to my work on the big screen. Sometimes what happens is good films hit the theatres and people don't even know about it.