EXCLUSIVE: Elli AvrRam's struggles as a foreigner: No one rented me a house; stayed in a room of cockroaches
Recounting her difficult journey here, Elli AvrRam said that it was very difficult to find a house on rent here especially because she was an actress and single. Read.
A country that celebrates the phrase 'atithi devo bhava' has always been questioned for their treatment towards foreigners. Here, Elli AvrRam, who hails from Sweden, discusses her entire journey of travelling all the way to India to build a career in Bollywood and the kind of struggles and judgment that came her way. She speaks about a conservative Indian family she had to stay with at the beginning. When she decided to move out, she reveals how difficult it was for her to find a house on rent, since people would look at her differently because she was an actress and a foreigner. Not just that, she also talks about a time where she stayed in a small room, filled with cockroaches and lizards who she eventually made her 'friends'.
Recounting her difficult journey here, Elli said that it was very difficult to find a house on rent here especially because she was an actress and single. "It's very difficult to rent an apartment here. You're foreigner; you're a single girl, and an actress also. It's like a big 'No.'" She also opened up on her being judged because she wore western clothes and had to resort to wearing traditional wear to avoid gaze.
Recounting about her passion to be an actress in Bollywood, she recalled, "It took me three years to move from Sweden to India as my dad was very strict. I used to convince my dad that I want to be a Bollywood actress. I worked at a jewellery store, and saved money to come to India. My dad was impressed by my efforts, and also scared that his daughter was going to a far off different country."