New baddie on the block

Here's a villain you just can't help falling in love with. If his clean-cut good looks don't bowl you over, his careless charm will. Having made his Bollywood debut in the recently released Kites, Australian theatre and TV actor Nicholas Brown hopes to make it big in Bollywood. The actor speaks to CS about his impressions of our film industry and his love for Mumbai nagariya:



Indian connection

When I got this Bollywood offer, I did a lot of homework, immersing myself in the Indian film culture. I was really excited about the role, though my friends back home in Australia found the thought of me acting in a Bollywood film absolutely hilarious. Maybe because I'd played only serious and romantic characters so far and here I was playing the bad guy this time. Even though they've now seem my film and are proud of me, they can't help laughing at me. Aussies imagine Bollywood to be only about song and dance. And they don't know about playback; they think the actors actually sing, like in a musical! And they love all the colour, that is the trademark of the Indian film industry. Australian film culture is also quite cheesy, so we enjoy all the eccentricities associated with the Indian camp.
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The good, the bad ufffd
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Bollywood is constantly evolving, and I truly admire the industry for its openness to experiment with stories and genres and its ability to take risks. On the flip side, I'm not so appreciative of the crazy schedules that are an integral part of this industry. All of us here could do with a lesson in time management. For the first few weeks, I would show up on the sets at 6am sharp, only to find out that the shoot started only post 5pm! Even though I still believe in being punctual, I have realised that the Indian Standard Time is always at least three hours behind the actual time. I haven't been able to adjust my clock to it yet.
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Home sweet home

It's been three years in this city now and I'm already having a good time here. Mumbai is very vibrant and I love it, even though it gets a little crazy with all its noise and pollution. Whenever I'm back home in Australia, the urge to return to India is always strong. I'm serious enough about a career in India to have rented a house here. My favourite Indian stars are Irfan Khan, SRK and of course Hrithik. Among the actresses, I like Konkana SenSharma, Priyanka Chopra and Aishwarya Rai. I hope I get to act with them one day!u00a0u00a0