It was the success of 'Bend it Like Beckham' which got my name out there. 'A Mighty Heart' also helped.

I had a dialect coach to get an American accent, and then another dialect coach to come off it a bit. There is something deep and mysterious in the voice when it isn't too high-pitched American.

I have always let the lack of Indian actors in the industry drive me, not hold me back. I remember an agent in L.A. telling me a few years ago that an Indian actor wouldn't ever make it in Hollywood, but my ethnicity has helped me.

When I was younger I was fat. I was never conscious of it and was content with who I was because I was so loved. My mother never told me to lose weight and my father doted on me, but my agent told me. I tried, but I loved Indian food too much.

At the end of the week, it's nice to just hang out in a pair of jeans and let my hair down. I need a break from all that fashion!

My mother told me not to listen to anyone. She had been told that she wouldn't be able to teach and she did.

The generation that migrated to the West in the 1970s or 1960s has now lived more in the West than India, and India has changed so much. My parents fall into that category.