Elnaaz Norouzi says there is more diversity in the West than Indian cinema. The actor, who made her Hollywood debut in 2023 with Kandahar, feels Indian films often stereotype foreign-looking actors. She said, “The West is still closer to what I am used to when I grew up in Germany.”
Having gotten the opportunity to work with a Hollywood legend like Liam Neeson, Elnaaz Norouzi says she learnt from him “the ease with which he is present on set”. She says, “It reflects in the way he talks, speaks, performs and behaves.” But how are superstars in the West different from the ones in India? As per Norouzi, not much. “They are all very down to earth. If you meet a Salman Khan, Shah Rukh Khan or Hrithik Roshan, they have the same humility as a Gerard Butler or a Liam Neeson or Zachary Levi. We feel that superstars are untouchable, but they are the most humble people,” she insists.
Norouzi made her Hollywood debut with the 2023 release Kandahar, alongside actor Gerard Butler. Ask her whether navigating Bollywood has been tougher or Hollywood, and she says, “Indian industry has been more challenging. The West is still closer to what I am used to when I grew up in Germany. India was much harder for me to navigate, and it took me a lot of time to understand it.”
The actor, who comes from an Iranian-German descent and has been part of Hindi films like Tehran and Mastii 4 (both 2025), adds that Indian cinema often stereotypes foreign-looking actors in their films and give them superficial characters to play. “There is not that much diversity in Indian films or series. The stories here are mostly about India, and if they go international, it’s mostly about England or Pakistan. In the West, so many more countries come in to make a movie. So, naturally, there is more diversity in the West than Indian cinema,” she says.