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| Edited By: |Source: PTI |Updated: Nov 21, 2013, 01:44 PM IST
She made her debut opposite Denzel Washington in Missisippi Masala and caused a furore with her act in Kamasutra. And after two decades of globe-trotting, Indian origin actress Sarita Choudhury, who is paired opposite Keanu Reeves in her next, is finally coming home, to Mumbai.
The actress wants to be a part of the emerging independent cinema scene in the country and India, she says, will be the perfect "fantasy land" for seven-year-old daughter Maria to grow up.
"I was planning to move to Los Angeles earlier. But now I want to move to India. I want to be a part of the fantastic work happening here. I went to Mumbai and it is so lively there, independent cinema is thriving and I want to be there and be a part of it," the New York based actress said.
The 44-year-old actress will make a comeback to the Indian screens with For Real, a film by debutante director Sona Jain and has also started work on a yet-untitled project with Hollywood heartthrob Reeves.
"It is an interesting project and I had a rehearsal with Keanu. I cannot reveal much else," said Sarita, who was born to a Bengali father and a British mother in Uganda.
The actress has since been on a constant move, shuttling between Europe and USA and her career graph too has spanned many languages and continents.
From a Chilean maid in The House Of Spirits, a lesbian mother in Fresh Kill and the member of a mystic covenant in M Night Shyamalan's The Lady In The Water, her resume is a mixture of many nationalities.
And after years of playing Spanish and African American characters, Sarita says that now is a great time to be an Indian actor in Hollywood.
"When Archie (Panjabi) won the Emmy I was so happy. Indian actors are now doing all kinds of roles which are not race specific. It's a great time to be an Indian actor because not only is really good cinema coming out of India but Western films and TV too has Indian characters now," said Sarita.
The actress is fascinated by Bollywood, but does not think that she will find a place for herself in the song and dance extravaganzas.
"Thankfully Indian cinema is not just about Bollywood anymore, because that kind of cinema is not really my taste. But there are smaller films, more original and more real, that are also being made and I want to be a part of such cinema," said the actress.
Sarita has been to Mumbai twice in the past year and immediately fell in love with the city and it's energy.
"I have been to Kolkata a few times as my parents are settled there now and I really liked Mumbai. I met Sudhir Mishra and Vishal Bhardwaj and spend the entire night talking about films, it was great," said the actress who now hopes to work with Naseeruddin Shah in a film.
And Sarita says that her daughter will be very pleased by her decision to move to India.
"She has been coming for the past three years and small things fascinate her. The temples, the monkeys on the roads everything. She has been travelling all over since she was a baby but I think she will like it here in India," said Sarita.
