I’m a Polish girl who’s partially Indian inside: Erika Kaar

She enters the room wearing the warmest smile I’ve come across in recent times. Erika Kaar is the new actress in B-Town, who plays the leading lady in Ajay Devgn’s upcoming directorial Shivaay. Hailing from the Polish capital of Warsaw, the actress feels she’s now Indian from within after shooting with the film’s team over two years. Over coffee, she talks about her experience of all things Shivaay, Indian culture, her aspirations and more.

Excerpts...

How did the role in Shivaay come to you?  

The production team needed a European actress for the female lead. Luckily for me, they came to my hometown and I was invited to the casting because I speak English. My lines were written in Hindi and in English. Nobody speaks Hindi in Poland, so they asked me to prepare the English lines. I did some extra homework, prepared a few lines in Hindi, which I must admit I didn’t understand it at all. I think it also helped them see that I would be able to portray a character who speaks entirely in Hindi.  

What kind of prep did you do for your character?  

I had to go through some serious language preparation because I had to learn all the other character’s lines right because I had to know what is going on, as my character speaks fluent Hindi. This was a lot of work. A lot! And then, I did work on the part, understanding the character, her values, her journey in the film. I had to work on was my visual aspect because for the stunts I had to be strong. So I would do some weight-lifting with Ajay’s trainer.  

Since this is the first time you’ve come to India, what would you take back?  

Oh, I’ve been taking back a lot over the last two years. I consider myself a Polish girl who is partially Indian inside, because I feel the same with India. I feel the food, eating with your hands.

What Indian food have you tried out?  

I eat everything. My favourite is Butter chicken. I love butter naan, jeera rice, mango lassi. I love biryani rice, kebabs. And for breakfast, I had pohe, jalebi and aloo paratha. I love it.  

It’s your first Bollywood movie and that too with Ajay Devgn. He doesn’t open up to people, in general. What broke the ice between you two?  

Time! I think it was me, plus the two years that we’ve been working together, it just kind of broke the ice.

Did you watch any Bollywood movies prior to Shivaay?  

No, because I was asked by the producers and by Ajay not to watch anything because they didn’t want me to be influenced by other actresses. They wanted me to keep my character realistic, natural and uninfluenced.  

Post Shivaay, did you watch any Bollywood movies?  

Yes. I’ve seen Devdas, the one with Shah Rukh Khan and Aishwarya Rai. She’s beautiful and I love Shah Rukh Khan. I think he’s an incredibly talented actor. I’ve also seen his newest film with Kajol, Dilwale.