I want to marry a nice indian man, says Caterina Lopez, the new item girl on the block, who talks about her latest Bollywood crush, butter chicken and more in a recent chat.
Bollywood Calling
Everybody back home asks me – why not Hollywood, to which I reply, why not Bollywood?" Caterina Lopez, a native of Arizona, USA – sure seems excited about her Bollywood debut in the forthcoming film "Bhindi Bazaar". She says, "I did quite a bit of modelling back in the USA, I think that's how the producers of the film spotted me. They felt that I had a very Indian look, so they decided to cast me over anyone else."
Ask her about her two item songs in the film and pat comes the reply, "The first one is called "Taan Ke Seena... Ho Ja Kameena" – it's an interesting number. I was drawn to it as it reminded me of my own personality – lively and energetic. It also has a slight Latin element to it. The second song, "Akkad Bakkad", is a promotional number directed by Kaizad Gustad (who also directed Katrina Kaif in her debut – "Boom")."
She admits that the Bollywood bug bit her back in 2009 – in the wake of the success of the film " Slumdog Millionaire". "I did a little research, I realized that I loved the singing and dancing bit of it. In the West, it's not the same. It's all about the acting, but here you get to sing, dance and of course, act. Hence, I wanted to try it out. I am now trying to improve my Hindi, I have a private tutor who gives me lessons five days a week because I don't like my voice being dubbed." Acting pricey already, eh?
All things desi
Having relocated to Mumbai, she reveals that her family is still coming to terms with her living and working halfway across the globe. But Caterina, on the other hand, already feels right at home in Mumbai. "My family finds it hard to believe, they keep asking me – 'how can you live so far away and not miss America and our way of life?'" Smiling, she adds "I do try to go home off and on. I went home for the Christmas holidays and for my birthday, but my trips back home are becoming a lot less frequent – the plane ride is just too darn long."
She has spent a lot of her time travelling across India, "I have been to Delhi, Bombay, Goa and Bangalore, and I loved Bangalore. I also plan to go to Goa again to get a better feel of it. Between Delhi and Bombay, I feel Delhi is a lot more relaxed, it has a very suburban vibe as opposed to Mumbai, which is all hustle-bustle."
When the conversation turns to food, the starlet responds with enthusiasm – the degree of which certainly belies her lithe frame. "I love butter naan, and black dal, they're not the best things for my figure though (laughs)." She spoke at length of her love for butter chicken, but also revealed that at times, the high-spice quotient of Indian grub did upset her watered-down American palette. "I must learn how to cook Indian food, so that I can marry a nice Indian man," said a blushing Caterina.
Desi men sure seem to have caught the sexy latina's eye. Having already spoken of her fondness for Akshay Kumar and a certain Shah Rukh Khan, Caterina spoke of her latest Bollywood crush. "I saw a movie called "Luck" recently. And I was so disappointed to know that the guy ( Imran Khan) is married. I was like – dang it."
JLo connection ho jaaye
When the conversation turned to her famous cousin, Caterina remained tight-lipped. "Jennifer has done really well. She is famous for her music and Hollywood. But I am here now, I want to create my own identity independent from her super-stardom." A noble pursuit, indeed.