#Trending : Elli AvrRam Recalls Her Move To India And Shares How She Felt Discriminated Against. She Couldn’t Even Rent An Apartment

#Trending : Elli AvrRam Recalls Her Move To India And Shares How She Felt Discriminated Against. She Couldn’t Even Rent An Apartment

Just like every other kid who has grown up watching English movies, TV shows and fantasizing about the life out west, I too had always been keen to move abroad when the time came. Somehow, the idea of living in a land that would be new to me, felt like a fresh start in life and where I’d be calling the shots. And while my journey is yet to start, my best friend’s already did when she moved to Milan a couple of years ago and her move taught us both major life lessons. A few months down the line, as her fantasy life turned into a real nightmare, I understood how beyond those rose-tinted experiences, lays the difficulty of surviving through cultural differences. And for those who think India is any different with its Atithi devo bhava mindset, actress Elli AvrRam begs to differ.

Going to a new city, a new country, a new continent is never as rosy as it seems. Especially when you’re moving not just for a plush vacation, but to settle down. Yes, one might blame the changed mentality, the different language or even the stark difference in upbringing, but what one might not expect is the blatant discrimination and disregard on account of being a foreigner.

Sharing her experience of coming from Sweden to settle down and try her luck here in India, Elli talked about all the struggles that she first faced and how unwelcome she felt when she first arrived. From not finding an apartment to rent to being looked at differently just because she was a foreigner and an actress, she had her share of hardships while trying to find her footing. She even shared that it once came to a point when she had to rent a small room, filled with cockroaches and lizards. She ultimately she made friends with them but that’s another story.

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Also Read : Nora Fatehi Talks About How We Treat Foreigners In This Country And In Bollywood. We Should Be Ashamed!

She also said, “It’s very difficult to rent an apartment here. You’re foreigner; you’re a single girl, and an actress also. It’s like a big ‘No.'” From her looks, to her ethnicity and even her choice of clothes as an actress, everything worked against her, and proves that even as hosts and people known for their hospitality, we often fail our guests.

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However, thinking back to her passion of acting, she said, “It took me three years to move from Sweden to India as my dad was very strict. I used to convince my dad that I want to be a Bollywood actress. I worked at a jewellery store, and saved money to come to India. My dad was impressed by my efforts, and also scared that his daughter was going to a far off different country.” Guess his concerns were valid, considering women are still not free from the gaze, disappointment and disapproval of the society no matter how forward we claim our thinking is.

Also Read : This Woman From Nagaland Is Fighting Racial Discrimination By Helping Migrant Workers. We Love Her Spirit

Sadhika Sehgal

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