She packed her bags and left her home with a Bollywood dream in her eyes. Australian actress Emma Brown Garett, who made her acting debut with
Bengali film 'Shukno Lanka', is determined to stay here and make it big in the Indian film industry.
Brown is the latest addition to the list which
includes 'Raajneeti' actress Sarah Thompson, 'Kites' star Barabara Mori and 'Rang De Basanti's Alice Patten. But unlike her contemporaries, who disappear after one film, Brown shifted to Mumbai two-and-a-half years ago with her husband to act in Bollywood.
"There is a romantic element to coming and working in India. It is challenging as an actress. Everybody asks me, 'Why dont you go to Hollywood?' I say, 'Why not Bollywood?' As an actress I always want to try something different. And the work is here. So I am here to stay," Brown told PTI.
Brown, who has trained at the Dramatic arts school in Australia, has made the maximum city her home and has no intention of going back anytime soon.
The actress will be next seen in Rohan Sippy's 'Dum Maro Dum' with Abhiskek Bachchan and Bipasha Basu and Dharmendra-Sunny Deol starrer 'Yamla Pagla Deewana'.
Although she began her career with a Bengali film and then went onto work in Bollywood, Brown insists the transition has been an exciting challenge.
"It is a big difference going from Tollywood to Bollywood. You can't judge one against the another but I have quite enjoyed the transition," said Brown, refusing to divulge further details about her roles in the two films.
The actress feels that directors are making way for foreign characters in movies in order to give their films an international appeal.
"Bollywood scripts are changing. A lot of these actresses are playing wives and girlfriends. Directors and writers are using these characters to have a greater appeal in
the international film fests. It is an added way of getting noticed," said Brown. The actress has worked with veteran actors like Mithun and Sabyasachi Chakraborty in Gaurav Pandey's 'Shukno Lanka'. Even though she doesn't understand Bengali, Brown did not have any difficulty as the film's cast and crew were very co-operative.
"I enjoyed living and working in Kolkata because the moment I got on the set, I felt comfortable with Mithunda, Sabyasachi, Gaurav and everybody else. I didn't feel I was out of place. The character itself, Isabella, fits into the film
very well," said Brown.
'Shukno Lanka', which was released nationally on July 2, revolves around a junior artist in the Bengali film industry who has lived the life of obscurity for so long but suddenly all his dreams come true when an award-winning director offers him the lead role in a film.
Brown plays an actress-turned producer in Germany who goes to produce the film in Kolkata.
"It is left to the audience to judge what her
relationship is with Sabyasachi's character and how it affects his marriage. This is more of an art-house film, the word 'masala' does not apply but there is a fantastic dance sequence in which I do a bit of freestyle dancing," said Brown.