I'm in Bollywood to stay, says American Linda Arsenio

By Joginder Tuteja, Mumbai, March 9 : Alice Patten, Rachel Shelly and Ali Larter have one thing in common. They are foreign actresses who featured in a Bollywood film each but were never seen again on the Indian screen. But American Linda Arsenio, who has acted in two Hindi films and will be seen in Robby Grewal's 'Aloo Chat', insists she is here to stay.

Linda, who comes from a theatre background in New York, made her debut in "Kabul Express" in 2006 and then made an appearance in urban comedy "Mumbai Salsa" (2007). In "Aloo Chat" she stars opposite Aftab Shivdasani.

"It has been more than three years since I have been here but I am here to stay. Yes, I have a long way to go but I'm a grounded actress and am working hard to have an extended innings in Bollywood," Linda told IANS.

She truly believes that Mumbai is the place to be if one wants to do some good work in front of the camera and gain recognition.

"I am learning Hindi and I guess there has been some good improvement over the years," says Linda, who has "Chalo, Theek Hai" as a part of her vocabulary in every second sentence.

"I appreciate India and, though I do miss America at times, I know that in the line of work that I'm in, Mumbai is certainly up there. All I need to do is hang on," said the actress who hails from Texas.

She definitely sees a union between the East and the West progressing quite rapidly, courtesy the international recognition Indian films and movies set in India are getting.

"Look at it, 'Slumdog Millionaire' was shot here and now everyone knows what this city stands for. Even before this film happened, I always knew that there was a distinct union between East and West. It's not just the Indian actors who are looking at the West, even actors from Hollywood are interested in working here today," said Linda, who has tried her hand at Tamil and Telugu movies too.

Rachel Shelly and Alice Patten were seen opposite Aamir Khan in "Lagaan" and "Rang De Basanti" respectively. Though the films turned out to be big hits and received global acclaim, the two women apparently didn't show any willingness to continue their innings in Bollywood.

The case of Ali Larter was different as her 2007 venture "Marigold" opposite Salman Khan bombed at the box office.

Linda, however, maintains that she is different and is not going anywhere soon.

"My heart is here now and I am here to stay. Good projects are coming my way like 'Aloo Chaat', and with tailor-made roles like these, I'm not going away anywhere soon," she said.

Set to release March 13, "Aloo Chaat" also features popular TV actress Aamna Shariff.