She’s got the look and comes across as charming. Iranian actress Mandana Karimi who was the runner-up on Bigg Boss 9 recently and was seen in Bollywood movies like Roy, Bhaag Johnny, Main Aur Charles and Kyaa Kool Hain Hum 3, talks about her journey from Iran to Bollywood.
“I went to the art school in Tehran to study photography, graphic designing and painting. I wasn’t inclined towards the glam industry initially and was a shy girl who was happy colouring in my room. After college, I decided it was time to leave Iran. I dabbled with a few things but soon lost interest. I did a photoshoot for a friend in Dubai and after that, I think it was destiny calling. I was flooded with compliments and everyone said I was tall and slim and should try my luck in modelling.” One thing led to another and soon she got a three-month contract in Mumbai.
“I was getting assignments, ad commercials, shoots, print modelling and was making a lot of money. So I kept coming back to Mumbai and Delhi and soon moved here. I liked the country, was getting work and decided to give acting a shot. So I enrolled into Barry John’s acting classes. I went to Balaji’s office and Ekta Kapoor signed me up after the audition,” recalls Mandana.
