FROM BOLLYWOOD TO HOLLYWOOD: LISA RAY

By Fuad Omar.

Deepa Mehta's new film is making waves. Everybody wants to see the romantic comedy about a dashing young dotcom millionaire who believes he is Western enough to rebel against his Indian mother. When his mother threatens to call off his sister's wedding unless he finds himself a nice Indian girl, he hires a beautiful young woman to act as his significant other. But she unexpectedly charms his family and everyone ends up falling for her - even Rahul. It's called Bollywood Hollywood and the Indo-Canadian film features the added attraction of the Indo-Canadian actress that is Lisa Ray.  "The film has the best of, my acting and my life," she says proudly.

Lisa Ray is a lady who is surrounded with a mysterious aura wherever she goes. The girl shot to fame in such an unusual way and achieved so much at the right time and even attained success on the Bollywood big screen last year with Kasoor, but there's more to the Ray than meets the eye. Always friendly, courteous and smiling, Lisa is someone who is moving through life making all the right moves that will ultimately lead to her happiness, contentment and fulfillment.

The light-eyed beauty is synonymous with success as she has achieved so much in so little time. I meet her on the sets of a show on beauty and health that she's presenting in English and is setting fire to the small screen to the director's delight, wrapping up shots faster than he can call them. Her lime green eyes are like emeralds shining while glistening in the light of their possessor, yet it is more than her beauty that intrigues me. As I delve deep into who Lisa Ray is, I find what lies beneath is far more than a pretty face. She's someone who is what she is on her own steam and is only getting started.

For those who've been asleep for the past decade, Lisa Ray is the model-turned actress who has a resume boasting of some of the biggest assignments in India. After the success of Kasoor, the face that launched a thousand products decided to take a break from cinema and concentrate on other avenues. She's been in London recently and caught Andrew Lloyd Webber's Bombay Dreams, had fried green tomatoes at the Whistlestop Café (ok I'm lying about that part) but she's very much doing exciting things that excite her.  "It's been an interesting journey," she says confidently with a smile. "I've learnt a lot along the way with no regrets," she says rolling those green emeralds back and flashing a smile, before informing me of her background.

"Basically I was born and brought up in Canada and am of a mixed heritage. My father's a Bengali and my mother is Polish, but I've always had a very strong attraction to India. We would come and visit our family as we have a lot of relatives in Calcutta. But I never conceived that I would end up where I am today." A knock on the door interrupts us as lunch is served, and we are told how much longer it will be until the next shot is readied. 

She continues: "We had come here on a family vacation and during the course of this holiday I met somebody who offered me a modeling job and as I was young and impressionable and also a little bored I said 'why not?' That modeling assignment became the prestigious Bombay Dyeing campaign, which is pretty big in India and to which I may add I was oblivious to when it actually happened! I also posed for a few covers of a magazine called Gladrags which was really the genesis of my career." As she speaks she remains focussed, and in between eating she carefully ensures she answers all I ask, despite being at work, inviting me to interview her during her only lunch break and being only half through what seems to be a long and gruelling shift. One thing is clear: whatever she does, she does with a passion.

"I went back to Canada right after that and before anything was released so I never really got a chance to see the response to any of my modeling or ads which was overall very positive. I went back because I was meant to start university but unfortunately due to a very serious car accident I was unable to attend the first semester of school."

She pauses before continuing, speaking in a softer tone for a second. "It was a very traumatic time and a turning point in my life. It was then that I came back to India," she continues, and I started modeling on and off, but my career was very erratic as I was commuting between Toronto, Canada and Bombay and I was very undecided about what I wanted to do and so was treating modeling more as a hobby rather than as a career. In the last three years I made the decision that India is definitely where I want to be and I'm most happy, you could say I've become a hardcore Bombay-ite! This is where I want to make my life and I'm very happy here," she says with a smile, as I still recover from the tale of her long commute.

So fate intervened and made her, by chance a model and actress, what would she do if destiny had missed the mark?

"I was always a little indecisive, but I think I'd probably have gone into law because I come from a law-oriented background in that we have a lot of lawyers in our family, or maybe even journalism.".  I raise my eyebrows at the very mention of my profession, she has piqued my interest and it is now my turn to look at her with a smile.
"Yep," she says nodding her head, "I always had a fascination for words, sentences, novels and writers. Literature was also a strong subject for me in school and so probably journalism.  I guess there have been many turning points in my life, but right now at this point in time I'd have to say the most memorable one is definitely a very fruitful and exciting part of my life in the sense that everything has sort of led up to this."

I ask how the shift was from the very diversified Canada in comparison to Mumbai and whether it was difficult settling in. The confidence with which she replies gives me my answer and the excitement in her eyes as she speaks of Mumbai clearly sends a message as to where she has laid her hat is her home.

"I feel more alien going back to Canada actually because I've been in Mumbai for so long now. I've really settled in and love it here, there's so much energy and it's a very addictive place. There are definitely a lot of problems and grievances with living in the city but somehow it all just gets into our skin and bloodstream and if home is where the heart is, it's in Mumbai."

Ok, so how did films happen and especially this jump into a film that everyone's talking about?
"Films happened because in the course of my career, apart from modeling I did television.  I'm anchoring a show right now on Star Movies. I also did music videos and hosted live shows and am an ambassador for Rado watches as well. So there's a lot of things I've done throughout my career as well. So I was quite fulfilled by these various assignments and I never considered films an option because I am realistic about the fact that it is a big step and something you have to take very seriously. You have to be prepared to put in a phenomenal amount of time and effort and also be prepared to receive the flak which you will inevitably receive! So I was receiving film offers since the beginning of my career but only recently I felt the right opportunity had presented itself for me to venture this way. I guess it was down to fate and the correct circumstances because I liked the subject of Kasoor very much. I liked the script and the cast and the entire unit, and I liked the fact that we all worked together as a team who were driven by our convictions as opposed to something made just to cater to commercial cinema. I'm happy with the outcome of my first Bollywood venture."

"I'm excited about Deepa Mehta's film which we're premiering on September 6th, but still, movies are not made for me. I have not planned my future. It may take its own course and I am ready to face it whatever it holds.  I thought I'd just work at it to the best of my ability but I never imagined I'd become so attached to acting and films and put so much emotion into it as I have," she says showing signs of nervousness.

"I was terrified in front of the camera when I shot for Kasoor which seems like such a long time ago now! I was so scared, so any confidence that does come across is a credit to the acting which is thanks to the director Vikram Bhatt and Ashutosh Rana who was very supportive of me and of course the entire team of Kasoor," she reveals with a laugh.

So what's up for the lady you just don't know where she'll be next and where is she planning to take things now, I ask.

"I'm keeping a very positive outlook and realising that anything can happen in life, and if you keep a very open and receptive attitude good things do come your way and I'll try to make the best of whatever does come my way. Life should be accepted as it comes because it is full of surprises, it does not go as per our plans. We wish for something, but we have something else in store. For this reason I don't plan anything these days."

And on that note, she drifts off to the very dreams she is making a reality.