Why did you look West?
It’s a patriarchal society where people have certain notions of a female. You have to be shy when a guy is looking at you. You have to be talking, walking, laughing and wearing clothes in a certain way for you to be accepted. But I am a sportswoman. I don’t do any of that.
When I approached people I had earlier worked with to give me certain movies which they were making, mostly action movies, I was told ‘no’ because they had a set criteria for casting those girls, even though they were not action-trained. They would be sent to New York or some place for three or four months to be trained. There is nothing wrong in that they can cast whoever they want but I always felt that since I had done martial arts for 15-plus years, I had the right to go look for my own opportunities. I lost my father to cancer. I have no one in the industry to support me. When I was not given all these movies, I started travelling across the world.