Meet Anastasiya Ador: From Europe to India, Udta Punjab to Farzi

Anastasiya Adorrsquos performance in Raj and DKrsquos web series lsquoFarzirsquo as Svetlana is far from forgettable The actress aides Shahid Kapoor and Bhuvan Arorarsquos characters to transport counterfeit notes on an abandoned rusty ship The 28yearold European shocked cocreator DK Krishna with her Hindi speaking skills Itrsquos funny because I had to fake an Eastern European accent for the role and at the same when the call cut and we had chai behind the camera we would all be chatting in Hindirdquo says Anastasiya talking to middaycom about working on the Prime Video original showAnastasiya has been working in the Indian film industry for 11 years now From playing Shahid Kapoorrsquos girlfriend in Udta Punjab she has become a familiar face with her performance in MX Playerrsquos Campus Diaries Netflix show Aranyak and ALT Balaji show Bose DeadAlive atOptions key d0ddb8ef8f1a62a8cdd22fac27fc5ea7 format iframe height 90 width 728 params Coming to IndiaAt the age of 8 Anastasiya started learning Indian dance and culture at the Indian embassy in Minsk Eight years later she first came to India at the age of 16 Her first destination in the country the capital city of Delhi While she was acting since the time she was a kid Anastasiya did a filmmaking course in Delhi while living with family friends ldquoI was obsessed with India at some point It has become a natural part of me nowrdquo she said adding that she soon learned the Hindi language and watched 100s of Indian films After the yearlong filmmaking course she went on to do theatre in Delhi and worked extensively behind the stageThings changed for Anastasiya when she started getting calls from Mumbai for work ldquoI think Mukesh Chhabra was the first one who gave me an audition for Udta Punjab Again it was with Shahid Kapoor That was my first project I realized that Mumbai is a great place because its so international Like in Delhi I was feeling a bit alienated I was still a white girl in DelhirdquoldquoI think once youre in Mumbai you meet people you get connected and suddenly I was doing a play at Prithvi and suddenly Im rehearsing for something else Then I did a TV show with Rajkummar Rao Many doors opened and just like that I spent 11 yearsrdquo she addedPic Still from Bose DeadAlive with Rajkummar RaoShahid Kapoor connectDespite being born in the European nation of Belarus Anastasiya has watched several Indian films right from MughaleAzam Awaara Dil Toh Pagal Hai to Jab We Met While she admits to being a fan of actors like Shah Rukh Khan and Aamir Khan but it was Shahid Kapoor who found a place on her wall ldquoI remember after I saw lsquoJab We Metrsquo I was like lsquoWhat is this filmrsquo I was listening to the songs on loop I was so obsessed and in love with the character on screen I was obsessed with Shahid Kapoor I cut out and printed his picture and had it on my wall I remember crying because I didnt know what to do I was so much in love with this characterrdquoCall it destiny Anastasiya landed her first project opposite Shahid Kapoor with Udta Punjab 2016 Years later she landed a pivotal role in Raj and DKrsquos series lsquoFarzirsquo where she shared scenes with Shahid KapoorAnastasiya also learned Kathak while in India and her guru was none other than veteran actor Neelima Azeem mother of actors Shahid Kapoor and Ishaan Khatter ldquoShes my guru and I was taking classes from her in Mumbai Neelima Azeem is a beautiful person She taught me a lot of things about the film industry Through dance she always taught me things about life She is incredible When I look at Neelima Azeem I see how Ishaan and Shahid are so talented because they have a mother who is herself an unbelievable talentrdquo Anastasiya sharedPic On the sets of FarziBeing a white girl in the Indian film industryAnastasiya feels that there is a lot of role for foreign actors in the Indian film industry ldquoI cant say its a lack of work but maybe the way people perceive you They dont write characters like me They dont write about a girl who is a foreigner but she lived here for so long that she speaks the language They always then have to be half Indian for some reason like the minute they know I speak the language they make the character half Indian But there are people who live here and speak the language So its just I think its the lack of writing and finding authenticity and characters like me Otherwise theres lots of work and lots of charactersrdquoldquoIm very glad how Indian industry is expanding now internationally There are lots of opportunities Im sure But yeah I feel when it comes to writing it can be very limited So its a big struggle for sureAlso ReadExclusive Farzi creators Raj amp DK lsquoA lot of research went into printing fake currency notesrsquoNext up Check OutWhile Anastasiya has been in London for a year now just before leaving India she shot for short film titled lsquoCheck Outrsquo by Fenil Seta ldquoThe film is very heavy when it comes to the inner world of the character I play a travel vlogger who is in Mumbai and it starts on a happygolucky note for her The drama begins when she starts getting harassed outside the hotel roomThe film was shot in and around South Mumbai which got Anastasiya nostalgic as she was soon about to leave the country ldquoI really liked working with Fenil because hes such a positive director Im a person who gets very anxious immediately And then Fenil was very calm and that really helped me because I could manage my anxiety and my emotions and then kind of get through the film she shared The film will soon be released on DisneyHotstar atOptions key d0ddb8ef8f1a62a8cdd22fac27fc5ea7 format iframe height 90 width 728 params