World Hindi Day| Elli AvrRam, Edward Sonnenblick, Mark Bennington recall learning the language

Foreign actors working in India reflect on their journeys to learn Hindi. They emphasize the importance of language in securing roles and embracing the culture.

For us, speaking in our respective mother tongue is like breathing. But what is it like for actors, who hail from different parts in the world and choose to work in India? What were the kind of hurdles they had to overcome?

Edward Sonnenblick, Elli AvrRam

Here are some known faces spilling the beans:

Edward Sonnenblick

Before ever setting foot in India, I got so hooked on Hindi movies that I got myself a book called Teach Yourself Hindi and started. I loved it so much that by the time I got here for the first time I had a head start and hit the ground running. Since I could already speak Hindi when I arrived it's actually been something from the beginning that has helped me secure more work. The job where I cut my teeth in the industry was a TV serial, Jhansi ki Rani, where I was the main villain in what must have been over a hundred episodes. Those were crazy days, where they'd often give me my Hindi lines just before we'd shoot the scene...in Devanagari! I somehow managed, and my Hindi got a lot better on the job, as a result.

Elli AvrRam

I first studied Devanagari at Stockholm University before moving to India, just to prepare myself. I learnt how to read and write and very basic Hindi! After coming to India I took few lessons but it never really helped me, so I just pushed myself to talk everyday and not feel shy about speaking it wrong! It absolutely improves chances of getting work because you’ll obviously perform much better, knowing and understanding the words you speak and of your co-actors! But I’ve also seen how in some cases it doesn’t matter. For me it’s been a priority to learn Hindi because I want to give, and be my best as an actor! I absolutely love Hindi and India, it’s a huge part of me and who I am today, and many times when I’m abroad I by mistake end up saying Hindi words because I’m so used to talk in Hindi every single day in India! My favourite word is actually to say Ji! Haha I find it cute.

Mark Bennington

It was not daunting when I started off in Hindi projects. I had done Parmanu: The Story of Pokhran, and after that the phone was just ringing, people kept calling for work. It seemed they always need a white guy for something in Bollywood! The work I had done for years in the United States gave me a little bit of edge. I remember, I had to deliver a big monologue in Kesari. I had to do it over and over again, there was no other way. For some reason or the other, I would have to drop out of Hindi classes. The first Hindi film I had got was Detective Byomkesh Bakshy! Dibakar Banerjee (the director) wanted to add me to the scene, and they flew me to Kolkata. I kept asking for the scene that night, they said I am getting it. They finally gave it to me at five in the morning, and we had to start shooting at seven! I said 'I didn't know how are we going to do this' but they said to not worry. I started making sounds when saying my dialogues, lit a cigarette for the scene, pretending it was nice and easy. But I still struggle with Hindi.

Mandana Karimi

I came to India as a model a decade back. For me, speaking Hindi while doing a photoshoot or walking the ramp, wasn’t really required. What happened was I fell in love with the country. It doesn’t matter which country you are from, when you adapt to the language and culture here. When I shifted to Mumbai permanently, I had a maid at home who was so sweet, she would keep telling me ‘aapko Hindi aue Marathi mein baat karna aana chahiye agar Mumbai mein rehna hai’ My first two teachers were my staff and driver. Later, while auditioning I would just memorised the lines, without knowing their meaning. But then I felt I need to understand them too. Of course, I have a lot of accent, hailing from Iran, but everywhere I go have a twinkle in their eyes when they see me speaking in Hindi.