Hollywood is still difficult for Indian actors: Sendhil

Sendhil Ramamurthy feels it is still difficult for Indian origin actors to get good roles in Hollywood.

New Delhi: Sendhil Ramamurthy has worked in popular US TV series `Heroes` but the actor, who will next be seen in Gurinder Chaddha`s upcoming film `It`s a Wonderful Afterlife`, feels it is still difficult for Indian origin actors to get good roles in Hollywood.

"It is still difficult but things are changing for good. I am playing a CIA agent in `Covert Affairs`. Something like this was not possible five years back. It is a good sign but the change has a slow pace and I am very impatient by nature," Sendhil told reporters in a telephonic interview from Los Angeles. The actor, who has appeared on several US TV shows like `Ellen`, `Casualty`, `Guiding Light` and `Grey`s Anatomy`, consciously stayed away from stereotypical roles. "It was not something that interested me. I don`t fault others who do such roles but it is not something I want in my life. I felt I won`t be happy playing such roles," he says. Sendhil`s conviction helped him avoid compromises and he was soon picked up to play geneticist Mohinder Suresh in Universal-NBC sci-fi drama, which made him a household name in the US. Incidentally the role was written for a 55-year-old man but Sendhil`s audition convinced the makers rewrite the part. The actor, 35, is playing a police officer in `It`s a Wonderful Afterlife`, who, while investigating some murders in London, falls in love with one of his suspects in the comedy where Shabana Azmi plays a serial-killer, desperate to get her plump daughter married. She tries various methods to trap prospective suitors but when they reject her daughter she takes her revenge by killing them. Sendhil is confident that he will get noticed in the film even though Chaddha`s films are dominated by women characters. "Isn`t it every man`s dream to get lost among so many women?," he jokes before adding, "But I don`t think my character will get lost. It is a beautiful film with two love stories and I play an important role in the second love story. The first one is between a mother and daughter who share a beautiful bond." The actor says he had no clue about Azmi when he first met her on the sets of Gurinder Chaddha`s film `It`s a Wonderful Afterlife` but he became a huge fan of the actress while shooting for Chaddha`s upcoming romantic comedy, which will hit theatres in India on May 7. "I was very much unfamiliar with her work when we started together on `Afterlife` but she is fabulous and a brilliant actor. You know what I would love to work with her again in a project," says Sendhil. "Unfortunately we did not have much scenes together so I would stay there and watch Shabana complete her shots. It was great to see her in action. She is amazing. We keep in touch and text each other," says he. The actor has signed his first Bollywood film `Shor` with Ekta Kapoor as a producer. "The film has three stories and I play an English NRI who comes to India with a desire to help poor. But he has to bribe through to get what he wants and finally he decides to take things in his own hands," says Sendhil.