Hollywood is just closer geographically and ideologically,” says actor Sarita Choudhury. The 44-year-old London-born NRI, made her debut on the Indian screen with Mira Nair’s controversial release,
Kama Sutra
, in 1996. Choudhury will now appear in her second Indian movie, as the lead in Sona Jain’s upcoming crossover movie,
For Real
.
To be released sometime in August, Choudhury plays a mother who’s fighting to save her marriage and her child’s sanity. It’s taken Choudhury 14 years to make her Bollywood comeback. “I live in New York, so I don’t get that many Indian scripts. Also, I have been oddly shy in promoting myself, so even though I wanted to do more Indian films, I never really pushed for it. Now, the scripts are getting stronger,” opines Choudhury, who confesses that post her lascivious role in
Kama Sutra
, she did get a spate of numerous questionable scripts. “I wouldn’t do something that was brainless, so I simply stuck to what I knew best,” says Choudhury, who has had no problems with nudity.
Not much nudity
Not much nudity
“Actual nudity in the film was less than its sensuality. Mira is good at creating images that can be confused for nudity. I believe in doing a nude scene only when I trust the director,” says Choudhury, who unfortunately remained misunderstood and ultimately slunk into Hollywood.
In the interim, Choudhury has done some noteworthy work in movies like John Cassavetes’
Gloria
, Andrew Davis’
A Perfect Murder
and M Night Shyamalan’s
Lady In The Water
, and shared screen with the likes of Michael Douglas and Sharon Stone. She’s even made appearances in Broadway plays and sitcoms. But her heart is set on Bollywood now. “I love Bollywood films, but I have been trained in independent cinema. Theatre reminds me of Bollywood. Maybe it’s time I did one,” she says.