CELEBS FACTORY

"I am in Mumbai till September, after which I will go to the US for workshops of my new Hollywood projects. Their style of working is so different from that in Bollywood. Here an actor first asks about the co-star, but there that is the last thing you know. You first interact with the casting director and then meet the producer and director," quoted Koena.

The actress, who has been away from B-Town for a while now, added, "I have an agent in the US through whom I have landed these offers. It is a new challenge for me to work in Hollywood."

Meanwhile, Koena still has some scenes to shoot for The Story of Naomi, directed by fashion photographer Ash Gupta and produced by Michael Hirshenson of When Harry Met Sally and Princess Bride fame. The film stars Kevin Sorbo opposite Koena who is romantically involved with both a man and a woman in the film.

Koena Mitra is busy with a commercial Hindi film she refuses to elaborate on apart from saying that it’s a comedy and she’s playing a chirpy miss from UK. She’s equally cagey about the two other Hindi films she’s taken on. But she’s forthcoming on her Hollywood movie, Story Of Naomi, to wrap up when she returns to Los Angeles around July.

The film produced by Michael Hirshenson, VP of The Casting Company whose credits include When Harry Met Sally, Jurassic Park, and Princess Bride, marks the directorial debut of fashion photographer Ash Gupta. It revolves around a married couple played by Kevin Sorbo (Hercules: The Legendary Journeys) and Koena who are caught in a convoluted love triangle.

Buzz is that she’s involved in an intense lesbian drama that includes some really graphic bedroom scenes with a female actor. “I don’t play a lesbian in this film even though for a really deadly script, I wouldn’t mind romancing another woman just like I wouldn’t mind grooving to a really great item number,” retorts Koena. “If you look at the poster closely, you will see that there are two others actors, a guy and a girl, along with Sorbo and me. Either of them could be the third angle in the love triangle.”

Many Indian actors before her have gone to town on their Hollywood innings that often turned out to be blink-and-miss appearances. Is hers a more substantial debut? “Even a blink-and-miss appearance deserves credit in the west because references don’t work there,” she reasons. “As far as I’m concerned, I’ve invested 10 months on this film, starting from scratch. I’ve met people, attended galas, done underwater training to get over my long-time phobia. My first week-long trip kept me back for two months. And since then I’ve been back twice in the last 10 months. In Hollywood, there are no first, second and third leads. Everyone’s a ‘talent’ but this film is titled Story Of Naomi and I’m Naomi. Does that answer your question?”

Koena’s one of the few actors who has admitted to getting corrective cosmetic surgery done that went wrong. Has she had to undergo any more procedures for this role? “Nothing went wrong,” she asserts. “I have a bony face so the swelling took time to settle. And I admitted to it, after all the talk had died down and everyone had stopped asking me questions. That surgery was a personal choice, no one forced me into it. And in Hollywood, if anyone were to suggest I change anything about my looks and I agreed, my managers would kill me.”

She points out that even her hair and eyes are black in the posters and her skin dusky. “They love my exotic looks there because I don’t look traditionally Indian which is a problem because you get to play one only every three years. But I look like a Latino, Mexican and Persian and that is my trump card,” she smiles.

For starters, let us inform you Koena Mitra was scouting for work in LA, chasing her Hollywood dreams. Now continuing further, her first Hollywood film is Story of Naomi and in this movie she is reportedly playing a bisexual girl.

Michael Hirshenson of the When Harry Met Sally fame is producing the film and explains why Koena was chosen for the film. While talking to a tabloid, Hirshenson says, “She looks international and her discipline and hard work can take her places. It all depends on how much she’s ready to learn.”

Koena will be seen in a challenging role of a girl who is attracted to a man as well as a girl in the film which is directed by the ace fashion photographer Ash Gupta. Koena shifted her base to LA last year and also had a milkshake named after her at Millions of Milkshake.

The model-turned-actress had to put a lot of effort, and that is the reason why it took her so long to get a Hollywood project. Koena says that she has to work on her accent and was taking classes for it as the West puts more stress on dubbing and other technicalities.

Koena’s The Story Of Naomi features actor Kevin Sorbo and Chris Devicchio.

The first poster of the film shows Koena getting intimate with another girl.