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Miss World Bulgaria Margo Cooper talks about working towards making her place in Bollywood.
“I love that Bollywood is often about over-expressing — if it’s love then it should be until death, if fight then for generations, if tears then under the rain, if celebrations then dancing to one’s heart’s content. I really enjoy old Bollywood movies because of the expressions and dance movements. All these make Bollywood special. I think their kind of performance is beautiful, unique and something that modern actors should embrace as traditional acting,” she says.
Margo has watched Fame Game and Gangubai Kathiawadi recently and enjoyed both. She praised the cast, story and presentation of both these female-fronted concepts.
“I genuinely admire Madhuri Dixit [Nene]. To me, she is Bollywood’s royalty and Alia Bhatt is the young talented star, who inspires you. In fact I don’t have a top ten favourite stars of Bollywood or something in mind. People who reached the top of the Olympus are true professionals and hard workers. I admire them not for their looks but for their dedication and their passion for acting,” she says.
Margo has been auditioning for roles and trying to find out what kind of character she would fit in. “I think even doing auditions is a process of learning and an opportunity to be discovered,” she shares.
Many feel that Bollywood has mostly space for typical-looking heroes and heroines. However, this does not concern Margo.
“Years of modelling and pageants taught me that for everything there is a right fit, not necessarily someone is better or worse. For me things always work in the way that I do what I can towards my goal and stay disciplined with my routine. There are a lot of opportunities but you have to be not only open to it and be at the right time and at the right place but also have skills, confidence and ability to show what you have. I can clearly see myself in Bollywood because there is nothing that hard work and dedication can’t do,” she adds.
She also does not think learning a new language or her accent would be a hindrance in bagging the right project.
“I think that people who have been successful weren’t trying to copy anyone, they embraced their own personality. It’s better to be the best version of yourself than a poor quality scan of someone else’s. I don’t need to seek for examples in industry to be confident. I don’t think that if Katrina Kaif could learn Hindi then I can too. Maybe, I can’t. But I want to be someone who people will say, yes she had an accent, but she made it. There is a place for everyone in the industry and everyone has their own way, so do I,” she explains.
Ask if she is going to sign one project after another to stay in the game and the beauty queen is quick to add that every new work gives one a chance for the next one.
“It’s very important to get noticed, and it’s always hard to be new to something and to make people in the industry believe in you and give you a chance. It’s like entering university, you think the hardest thing is to get a place but then you realise that the hardest thing is to study and to try to do your best constantly and get good results,” she says.
Margo has been in Mumbai for the past two months. It’s a short period, but she is enjoying her adventure.
“I’m always scared to lose time and to not be able to do as much as possible. That’s what keeps me motivated and gives me good stress. Every dream is worth a shot. If you don’t believe in yourself, no one will. Of course life has its ups and downs and success is not a straight line from A to B. It’s challenging, but every challenge is a point of growth. I am enjoying the process a lot, and have never regretted new skills and experiences,” she signs off.
