There’s nothing more Indian actor Upen Patel would like more than to be a role-model for British Asian kids.


Patel, who is currently starring in the Bollywood flick ‘Shakalaka Boom Boom’, revealed that not having any Indian footballer or actors to look up to as a kid had left an impression on his mind, and that he hopes he can fill in the gap for kids in the UK.


“As a kid I didn’t have any Indian footballers or actors to look up to. I had to look to Bollywood for my role models.


Then when I went there I stood out because I spoke in a different way, I dressed differently, I even walked in a different way. I was a London kid and I think the Bollywood fans really liked that,” the Daily Mail quoted him, as saying.


“That’s why it’s so good I’m now getting support from the Asian community in Britain. They seem really proud of me and that makes me really proud of myself,” he added.


However, Patel is still finding it difficult to cope with his star status in India.


“If you’d said to me, even five years ago, that I was going to end up a star in India I’d have said, ‘No way.’ Now my face is everywhere and I can’t walk down the street in that country,” he said.


“I never dreamed I’d end up a star in India. To me, it’s unreal. I came to this place from my hometown with nothing. I had no clue what would happen,” he added.





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