Australian Exclusive - Film siren, Roopashree Jeevaji takes Hollywood by storm.

Feb. 23, 2012 - PRLog -- As an Australian exclusive, Sarah Pearce from MMAPP Artist Management spoke to Roopashree about her career, what drives her and what ultimately led to her success.
The time is now for Australia to be introduced to Roopashree and her booming film career.

For full transcript please visit
http://mmapp.com.au/roopashree_jeevaji_interview.php

Q. Born in Mandya, a small district in South India and now in the prime circle of Hollywood U.S.A, when did you first decide on the move to Hollywood? Was the transition difficult? Did you make the move by yourself?

RJ- Yes I was born to a very conservative family in a small town Mandya, Karnataka. I have always been curious as a child about people and places. Cable was just introduced to the Indian market then.  And I was simply mesmerized about the show 'The Wonder Years'. Even though I was still a teenager, I was able to look at the writing and philosophy behind it. I guess I was an old soul even back then. That kind of writing was a huge factor in me wanting to pursue a career in Hollywood. Not many artists from India came to the US particularly for theatre. So the transition was very challenging. But it has also made me who I am.

Now when I look back, the industry has changed a lot and for the better. These are some very exciting times for Indians and I am very lucky to be a part of it.


Q. Your rise to success is constantly gaining momentum. Looking at success and fame being two different things. In your thoughts, what is success?

RJ-Yes, you have rightly put it. Success and fame are two completely different things. Success is internal and is personal. Each person’s success is relative. The important aspect of success is to define what it means to you. To me, it is the whole picture as it can be a rollercoaster of a ride in this industry. It is important to have a perspective on things.

My positive momentum comes from the philosophy of just having fun without expecting results. And because I am having fun, I am constantly seeing miraculous results. As simple as that.

Q. Roopashree, you are an actress and a producer which must lead to a very busy schedule. What past projects have you worked on to completion stage? What are your current and upcoming projects that you can tell us about? When producing, what elements are most important to you? Do you look at integrating Indian projects with American production or are your projects produced in India?

RJ-I worked in production in India for a couple of years to see what its like on the other side. Many national commercials. Too many to list.

When I start anything with a film, it basically comes down to one thing – the script, screenplay, the words that breathe as they say. I emphasize greatly on writing.

I am producing a feature that is set in India. It will be a collaboration between American and Indian production company. This is the best time for great stories to be seen across the world no matter where they are from. Bollywood, Hollywood or any other industry.


In your perception, has Indian film and TV series production changed much in the past decade?

Looking at movies such as Slumdog Millionaire, 3 Idiots and Outsourced and the TV series of Outsourced, which you were in and Un Hazaaron Ke Naam as examples of a shift in production styles and global popularity.

These productions, amongst many others, closing the gap, Bollywood rivaling Hollywood, and not only Hollywood, but reaching an international market. Here in Australia, many Indian productions can readily be found in tier level DVD rental chain stores. Testament that Indian productions are being noticed and given due credit.

How do you feel that changes in production styles has helped India to make such rapid and important movement towards being a global film production industry leader?

RJ-Firstly there is a difference in the way people refer to Indian movies. Slumdog Millionaire and Outsourced are not Indian movies. They are about India but are conceptualized outside. Three Idiots on the other hand is an Indian movie. People always put them all in one basket.

The Indian market has changed tremendously. These past five years have seen such as huge shift in the industry. All the studios from Hollywood are setting up productions offices to work in India for Hollywood projects. These studios are also producing Indian content for Indian market. The casting for television and films and the amount of work available for ethnics especially for Indians has increased rapidly. The independent , off the beaten path Indian movies and productions are also gaining momentum. Thanks to Slumdog Millionaire, it has put us on top with many many opportunities globally.


Q. Are you involved with The Trevor Project at an ongoing level?

RJ-No I was at the Trevor Project Event as a guest as I am the committee chair for another charity organization - Akshaya Patra


Q. Please tell us more about Akshaya Patra. Do you have any news about Akshaya Patra that you can share? How did you find out about Akshaya Patra? And how did you get involved with the organisation? How else can the children gain inspiration to succeed?

RJ-I will try to answer that question in the shortest way possible. It is so overwhelming to talk about this great organization that I could go on and on. There is more information available online at http://www.akshayapatra.org/
(Financial support is also greatly appreciated)

Q. In 2006 you gained a lead role in Independence Day which you talked about earlier. A powerful short film about a woman's dream of freedom and to break away from her strict upbringing. How did you feel about Sissy? How does Sissy, one woman's struggle magnify womens rights globally?

What are the most important avenues of change and how can these changes be implemented or bridged by film production?

RJ-Independence day was by far one of my favourite films that I have worked on. A polemical true story of a young Muslim woman, Sissy in the midst of passion and her culture. It was a very challenging role to play this traditional girl and yet have this fire burning within her. I could relate to her completely.

Women now are gaining equal respect in most countries. Although change will happen only when the media makes people aware of the concerns regarding women with movies, documentaries or even you tube videos that address these issues.

When women actively pursue careers in media ( write, direct, produce content for women) I believe then it will be the most effective to communicate to people and to bring about a change in this world.

Women need to be encouraged and enabled to do that.


Q. Lastly an exciting three months you have had with the CBS showcase. Please tell us a little about it.

RJ-Yes I was hoping you would ask me this. CBS has an amazing diversity program that takes place every year. 6000 actors auditioned this year. 23 of them were selected after many callbacks. These 23 actors then get to work with writers from CBS and outside and put up a showcase at the end of three months. I am fortunate to be one of them. We had put up sketches every day, four days a week and in the end narrowed it down to about 20 sketches from the hundreds. Invitations are sent to top Executives, casting directors, agents and managers. It’s a great way to showcase ones talent.

I wanted to talk about this in particular, as I was the only person born and raised and from a different country in the showcase. I would encourage all actors from all over the world to apply for this. That way it will truly be diverse. The information is easily available on google as to when they hold auditions. It would be great to see actors from different countries be a part of it. You can always contact me via twitter or facebook if you need any information regarding this.


Q.Thank you so much for your time. So where do you go from here?

RJ- Hopefully exciting places. Looking forward to the journey ahead. And Australia is definitely on the itinerary.

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