Bigg Boss 19: Polish actor Natalia Janoszek says it’s not easy to be a foreigner and a woman in India | EXCLUSIVE

For Polish actor Natalia Janoszek, who’s been a part of films like Chicken Curry Law, Housefull 5, The Swing of Things, and 365 Days among others, saying no to Bigg Boss 19 wasn’t an option.

“I mean, how can you say no to Big Boss? Only people who are scared of unexpected things and are not okay to take challenges would say no. And it's easy to say that there's a little drama, this is that, this is that, but it just excuses. Plus, how many chances like this do you have in life? And I'm a big fan of adventure, so, that might be one of the biggest adventures in my life,” she shared in an exclusive interview with WION.

While Natalia has seen some clips of Bigg Boss online, she didn’t have access to watch the full show outside India. “Even when I got to know that I'm taking part in Bigg Boss, I was like it's better not to see it because I might just go with the flow,” she added.

As someone who has worked in several Hindi films, Natalia says it’s hard to compare Bollywood and Polish film industry. “We don't really have the space for dancing and singing. Hindi movies are more dramatic. And I've always loved this colourful Bollywood. I wanted to dance, I wanted to sing, I wanted to act, and for Poland, it was too much. That's why I was like, okay, I feel like Bollywood is a place for me. So, it's a very small market, and it's basically very hard, actually. European cinema is very hard to compete with,” she elaborated.

When Natalia first came to India, she didn’t understand the culture and wasn’t aware of how things function in the country. “I needed to kind of quickly learn because I'm from a different culture. I needed to be respectful to this culture and even if I don't agree with some things, I had to go with it because it is how it is here. Being a foreigner and being a girl in India is not easy,” she shared, adding, “Because very often people are thinking that she’s out of India, right? She must be stupid, easy, and just fun - that we just drink, party and we are troubles, even in movies… Very often you have two guy friends, one is a bad one, a foreigner and the other one is a wife material from India. So, it's very hard sometimes to face that in reality. And I'm trying to prove that we might be a foreigner, but our values might be more Indian thanpeople expect.”

Among the films credited to her name, Natalia has also been a part of 365 Days. The actor revealed that she thought of auditioning for the lead role, but thought how she'd be able to manage in Bollywood after that. She said, “How I would go to Bollywood after that and explain that I'm not doing too bold things, because then the people would say, hey, you did 365 Days. It's like one of the boldest movies ever.” The actor, who essayed the role of the lead actor’s best friend, explained that she ended up in the movie by chance. “To be honest, I didn't watch the second and third, and other parts. It is not my kind of cinema, but it was great to be part of such a big production. That was a number one hit for a long time,” she added.

As someone who's been vocal about her personal life, Natalia shared that it’s hard to go inside the Bigg Boss house not being interested in getting to know people. “I mean, we will spend like, half of the year, maybe with those people,” she said, adding that even when she is in India for work, she’s usually on a tight schedule and doesn’t get a chance to get to know people.

“I feel like being an actor and being in entertainment is a very lonely life. People don't really realise that because we have so many people around us. But at the end of the day, we are all alone,” she said, adding, “So, I would be very happy to be able to get to know people, and they will be able to get to know me. Not from the point of view of how they see me online, on social media, on the red carpet, and in movies, but the real me.”

While Natalia admitted that the format is interesting, she also expressed a fear - what if the other contestants don’t like her?“But well, I'm going to try,” she concluded.