The Brazilian host of Colors TV’s Dancing Queen, Bruna Abdalah Christofoli, doesn’t regret for one moment her decision to build a career in Bollywood. “When I came to India from Brazil about three years ago for a holiday, I decided to stay on,” she explains, “Thankfully I managed to get myself attached to a proper agency who helped me get proper assignments.” Bruna has been working on the Khatron Ke Khiladi show with Rupali Ganguly and has done a few well-received item numbers in Bollywood movies, including Cash. “I want a career in the Telugu film industry” she says,”They are so professional down there.”
Meanwhile, Brazilian model Giselle Monteiro was the surprise hit from Love Aaj Kal and is already weighing up her options for future movies. She admits to having modelled her performance in the movie on Saif’s mother Sharmila Tagore. “Imtiaz showed me her films. Because she had the kind of personality Imtiaz wanted me to project. I learnt a lot from her. She is so beautiful!”
But the traffic isn’t all one way – the hottest TV novela in Brazil at the moment is Caminho das Indias (Way of the Indies). Filmed partly in Rajasthan, the Globo novella tells the tragic tale of forbidden love between Maya and Bahuan, doomed by the caste system. Some of the passionate clinches possibly go beyond what would be acceptable in Bollywood, but the show has all the other hallmarks of limitless energy, music, melodrama, romance and action. “The novela in that sense has opened many doors, many people are getting to have an impression about India,” says the Indian ambassador to Brazil. The show stars Juliana Paes, Leticia Sabatella and Marcio Garcia.
