• Rachel Ann Mullins made her Bollywood debut with Shah Rukh Khan’s new film Pathaan.
• She did not know who the Hollywood actor was before working on the film.
• Rachel talks about starting her journey in India, and her experience of working on Pathaan.

With Shah Rukh Khan’s newest film Pathaan, Hollywood star Rachel Ann Mullins made her Bollywood debut; nevertheless, she was unaware of Shah Rukh Khan before to working on the movie. Rachel discusses how she began her trip in India and her work on Pathaa in an exclusive conversation.

The League and Happy Endings are two of Rachel’s best-known appearances. She has also contributed to Hollywood productions like The Entourage Movie and Neighbours. In Pathaan, she portrays Alice, a Russian agent.

When Rachel first joined the project, she claimed she had no idea of the film’s scope and had only been able to speculate about it after learning that Deepika Padukone was involved. “When I made my reservation, I knew nothing about Pathaan. The moment I spotted Deepika Padukone’s name on wardrobe trunks when I was filming at the Yash Raj studio in Mumbai, not even the title. I anticipated that this movie would be tremendously successful. She is very stunning.

Asked about Shah Rukh Khan, she added, “I’m going to catch some ire for this but I didn’t know who he was until we worked together. One of the assistant directors explained that he was a big deal. We had a nice day together and it turns out we share the same birthday.”

Recalling how it all began, Rachel said, “My incredible agent, Ravi Ahuja had me audition for the part. I was in the Maldives when I got the call that I booked it and immediately went to Mumbai for costume fitting.”

She also talked about the response that she has received since the release of Pathaan: “I’ve gotten so much love because of it. Watching the response from fans the world over has left me with my jaw on the floor.”

Speaking on how Hollywood and Bollywood operate differently, she said that there are some aspects that are extremely similar. However, she continued, “The production value and degree of talent in individual actors is the fundamental difference between Hollywood and Bollywood. In Bollywood, everyone has an equal ability to act, sing, and dance. That is incredibly uncommon in Hollywood. Hollywood, a union town, has a tonne of labour restrictions, but Bollywood doesn’t have the same stringent regulations. Bollywood today resembles old Hollywood more.

“I learned that following my instincts and changing myself when the world changes is never a bad decision. I’m so happy I refused to stop working even when Hollywood shut down. I’m a big believer in the idea of going where you’re treated best and I love that Bollywood is really accepting of me,” she said.

Elaborating on how the switch to Indian entertainment happened for her, Rachel said, “After I shot part of my documentary that I directed and produced in India, back in 2016. I spoke to an agent on LinkedIn. We talked about Bollywood projects for years and I was very busy in Hollywood. However, when coronavirus lockdown imploded the entertainment business in Los Angeles I thought it was time to make the jump. At the height of India’s lockdown I was admitted and immediately started auditioning for projects the day after I landed.”

Talking about her first Indian project, Rachel Ann Mullins says, “The first time I went to India was for a documentary which I was producing and directing. Interviewing girls living in an acid attack survivor house in New Delhi changed my career and me as a person.”

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