Elli AvrRam recalls struggles as a foreigner in Bollywood, remembers sleeping on the floor and getting stares on the street – bollywood

Actor Elli AvrRam has spoken about the difficulties she faced after moving from Sweden to India, to fulfil her dream of becoming a Bollywood actor. Elli said in an interview that growing up, her father was very strict, so convincing him to support her dream was difficult.

She told Pinkvilla that when she first spoke to her dad about wanting to move to India, he told her to try her luck in Sweden instead, as both her mother and aunt were actors there. He would tell her that he’s willing to support her but on the day that she’d be ready to leave, he’d ask her, “With what money will you go to India?”

She said, “It took me three years to move from Sweden to India as my dad was very strict. I used to convince my dad that I want to be a Bollywood actress. I worked at a jewellery store, and saved money to come to India. My dad was impressed by my efforts, and also scared that his daughter was going to a far off different country.”

Elli said that after moving to India, she stayed with a very nice family, who welcomed her with open arms, but after that, she’s found it very difficult to rent an apartment in Mumbai. She said that while she was living with the family, she took a while getting used to the house rules, like not eating with the right hand, not ‘moving around’ when she was on her period, and having to dispose of her waste in a dumpster across the street.

Also read: When Elli AvrRam almost took a flight to Sweden to be with her family during Covid-19 crisis

“It’s very difficult to rent an apartment here. You’re foreigner; you’re a single girl, and an actress also. It’s like a big ‘No’,” she said. Elli said that she used to wear Indian clothes, because every time she’d wear Western clothes, she’d get stares.She then moved to Malad, where she lived in a room with no air-conditioner and started to sleep on the floor. “Lizards and cockroaches would be roaming around, and I made them my friends,” she said.

While living in that apartment, Elli said she was shooting for her first film, Mickey Virus, and ‘none of them knew what (I) was going through.’ Elli’s first tryst with Bollywood was as a participant in the reality show Bigg Boss.

Follow @htshowbiz for more