| Baywatch to Bollywood!
Baywatch babe to Bollywood star? How often do you find an Australian-Italian lass, venturing into the world of Bollywood to star in her first big film? A unique combination that just goes to show – you don't always have to be Asian to make it in. Dawinder Bansal goes down under and talks to Tania Zaetta, to find out about her gateway to India!
She's worked as a model, TV presenter, acted in sitcoms, and stared alongside David Hasselhoff, as one of the leading roles in the infamous TV series – Baywatch! What route did she take to get there? I spoke to Tania, to find out just that.
What's been the journey of your career so far?
I started off modelling when I was 18, which is pretty old these days. I'm 32 now so I guess I've been around for a while. As much as I loved modelling I felt a bit stifled, I wanted to work in an area that allowed my personality to shine through. So, I asked my agent to arrange screen tests for TV presenting and I got the first one I ever went for - co-host of a daytime game show. The rest just happened from there.
A lot of the TV presenting work I do around the world involves a certain amount of acting, I starred as one of the leading roles in Baywatch and I did that for a season. Pizza, a sitcom in Australia is another series I worked on so I guess the acting came as a natural progression.
Who inspires you in Bollywood?
After all my recent time in India I'm very inspired by the beauty and success of Ashwarya Rai, I love watching her Bollywood flicks. Strangely enough on my first trip to India a few of the journalists wrote that I had a look similar to Ashwarya, I didn't know who she was at the time, but once I saw one of her movies I nearly died and thought, 'Whoa! What a compliment'.
You're Australian-Italian – how did you come to be involved with in Bollywood films?
One of my TV shows, Who Dares Wins, is the first ever reality show and has been seen in over a hundred countries over the past 10 years. It was a huge success in India, so decided to film Who Dares Wins India Specials, where the Indian contestants were flown out to Australia – which led to a brand new show.
I've just spent two months in India filming, Extreme Dhamaka. After a recent PR tour through India, I started to receive a lot of calls with offers to star in what's called the 'item numbers'; the dance number. As soon as that happened, I started taking classical Indian dance classes, so that I know what I'm doing!
What do you like about Bollywood films?
I love the way they tell a beautiful love story, the vibrant colours and the outfits. They use a very poetic way of communicating, and I love the dancing and the beauty of the girls.
I also have a crush on Shah Rukh Khan and watch anything he's in! I recently met him at a party in Mumbai, which was a highlight of the evening.
What tips and inside information can you give to someone who wants to be an actor/actress in Bollywood?
- Speaking Hindi – Unless you can speak Hindi fluently, it's impossible to land a huge part in a traditional Bollywood film.
- Dancing is an essential – you could start classical Indian dance classes.
- You need to understand the Indian culture.
- Spend time in India to make contacts – get yourself known to film makers.
- Get some acting training.
- The population of India is about 1.1 billion and most of them want to be a star – perfect everything before you go and search for a job in Bollywood.
- It's all about who you know and which parties you're at.
- Landing a role depends a lot on your profile; you need to have a good profile before you consider going into the Indian film industry.
- It's very competitive – they'll only hire you if they're certain you can attract more viewers.
What was the process with landing your first role in a Bollywood film?
I was on the cover of Bollywood Times and a few other big papers throughout India. The journalists asked me how I felt about Bollywood movies and when I told them how much I love them they asked if I'd consider doing an 'item number' and I said sure I'd love to. The next day my publicist received a few calls with film offers, pretty lucky huh! So the industry kind of found me in a round about way.
What do you think will be your main challenges about working in this area?
First off, the dance routines – the Indian girls have been learning their dance style since they were young, so the beautiful hand movements seem to come naturally for them (and the hip movements as well) – I have to work very hard to look half as graceful as they do!
Secondly the heat is a killer in India when you're working outdoors all the time, and finally the language barriers.
What are you currently working on?
I've just finished shooting an advertisement campaign in Australia. Granada UK television are making one hour documentary about my life and career around the world. I'll be heading back to India shortly to do some personal appearances, and I'm due to start working on a Bollywood film soon. I'm just waiting to find out about production dates. The production company is one of the biggest in India and I'll be working with some big stars.
If you would like to find out more about Tania visit her website.
USEFUL LINKS:
Asian Talent Agency
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