Rashmi Rustagi's First Major Hollywood Role in Joss Whedon's 'The Avengers' opposite Mark Ruffalo

April 22, 2012 - PRLog -- LOS ANGELES, CA (April 22, 2012) Actress Rashmi Rustagi appears in her first major studio film in Marvel Enterprises upcoming blockbuster “The Avengers.” Based on the ever-popular comic book series first published in 1963, “The Avengers” assembles Earth’s mightiest superheroes to save the world from disaster where Rustagi plays the only Indian woman in Kolkata where Bruce Banner aka The Hulk (Mark Ruffalo) tames his temper by saving her family. “The Avengers” opens May 4, 2012 in USA.

   “The Avengers” centers around Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson)’s secret agency, which unites heroes Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.), Thor (Chris Hemsworth), Captain America (Chris Evans), Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson), Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner), Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow) and The Hulk (Mark Ruffalo) to thwart nemesis Loki (Tom Hiddleston). The film is directed and written by “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” and “Firefly” creator Joss Whedon, whose Marvel credits include “Captain America: The First Avenger” and “Thor.”

   Born in Lucknow, India, Rustagi is a fluent Hindi, Urdu and English speaker. This afforded Mark Ruffalo the opportunity for Rustagi to dialogue with him in Hindi. Rustagi reflects, “Working with Mark Ruffalo was so enjoyable. I developed an admiration for his commitment to learning Hindi, which allowed his performance to not only, be accurate, but captivating. I was impressed with how down-to-earth Mark Ruffalo was and how he endeared himself to the cast members in the scene.”

   Rustagi continues,  “If I was blind-folded and brought to the production set in Arizona, I’d think I was in Kolkata because Joss Whedon did a fantastic job depicting the congested, chicken and livestock bred streets of Kolkata.”

   Rustagi’s on-screen acting roles include Bollywood films “Compromise,” “ Under One Sun,” and “It’s a Mismatch” with Bollywood actors Anupam Kher (“Bend It Like Beckham”) and Boman Irani (“3 Idiots”).

Amir Jaffer, “Under the Sun” writer-director comments, “Not only is Rashmi Rustagi an absolute delight to work with, she is also a true professional. She is the quintessential actress who portrays characters in their true spirit with great ease and comfort. Her dedication to her craft and my projects has been tremendously rewarding.”

   Rustagi’s diversity allows her to play multi-ethnic roles as a Latina, Iranian, Persian, Afghani and Palestinian. Not limited to the silver screen, Rustagi is also a San Francisco Theater Works ‘actor “Baby Taj,” producer, writer and cook. She gives back to the community by sharing her recipes in her food blog Rashmis Recipes (http://www.RashmisRecipes.com) and actively involved in charities “Home of Hope” and “Foundation for Excellence.”

   Rustagi is represented by agent Michael Zanuck and managed by Cindy Krievens of Ultimate Talent Group who reps veteran Frank Ashmore (“Airplane!,” “General Hospital”) and Jenn Gotzon (“Frost/Nixon,” “Doonby”).

   For more information, please visit http://www.rashmirustagi.com