Firang girls flock Hindi film industry

American singer, Jennifer Lopez’s cousin, Caterina Lopez, apparently wants to make a career in Bollywood. This admission catapults Caterina in the long list of foreign babes wanting to woo the Indian audience on the big screen. “I am eagerly looking forward to Bollywood. India is soon going to be my second home,” says Caterina. Ask her if she has heard of her namesake (almost), London-bred Katrina Kaif made it big in Bolly land and she says, “Yes, I’ve even heard her latest item song, Sheila ki jawani. I’m glad we share a common name, the only difference being the initial alphabet and the surname.”

Actress Giselli Monteiro, a Brazilian, who was first seen as a desi belle in Love Aaj Kal, says that foreign chicks are probably attracted to B-Town because “India is at the epicenter of the world. In the last decade, India has emerged as the international entertainment hub and the movie business is growing at a very fast pace here.” And what, according to her, attracts the Indian audience to a foreign babe? “Many presumed that I was an Indian because of my Indian character. But at the end of the day, people appreciate the actor on screen and the origin doesn’t really matter,” says Monteiro.

Another actor who became a household name after an alleged link up with Salman Khan and a stint in a reality show, Claudia Ciesla, of German origin, says that the audience wants to experience “something different” in each movie. “People want to experiment different cuisines and clothes and travel locations. I think it is the same with the face they see on the big screen too,” says Ciesla, still awaiting her big break.

Ankush Bhatt, who directed Caterina for an item number in the upcoming film Bhindi Bazaar, says that since Indian movies are now offering more mature and bold content, certain roles require a face that portrays the same in an aesthetic manner on screen.

“Foreign actors are not very conscious about their body and if a girl has an Indian face, she will even connect with the audience and get the extra leverage as compared to an actor who has a typically firang face,” says Bhatt.