Being a foreigner is a plus in Bollywood: Evelyn Sharma

She speaks with an accent, but Evelyn Sharma’s half-Indian and half-German lineage has given her an edge in the Hindi film industry. She says being a foreigner in Bollywood has been a boon for her.

She speaks with an accent, but Evelyn Sharma’s half-Indian and half-German lineage has given her an edge in the Hindi film industry. She says being a foreigner in Bollywood has been a boon for her.

Over the years, the globally popular Indian film industry has opened up to talented foreign beauties. Cases in point are Katrina Kaif (Britain), Jacqueline Fernandez (Sri Lanka), Nargis Fakhri (US), Elena Kazan (Russia-born German), Elli Avram (Sweden), Lauren Gottlieb (US), Hazel Keech (Britain) and Kristina Akheeva (Russia).

"It’s been a positive (to be a foreigner in Bollywood). It is up to the directors — if they dress me up in western, I can carry off the look well, and I can also carry the traditional look for an Indian character," For Evelyn, who has mostly spent her time watching English and German films back home, Hindi language has been a stumbling block. "I am brushing up my Hindi. I am doing two hours of training in Hindi every day," she says.

I am brushing up my Hindi. I am doing two hours of training in Hindi every day, says Evelyn Sharma