Someone might have ‘helped, lobbied or backed her’ — these are some of the assumptions and questions that actor Nitu Chandra Srivastava has faced ever since she made her way to Hollywood. And she claims that it is because people from the industry “can’t digest” her move towards the West.

“The fact that ek ladki aapne aap, apne balbute pe aur bina kissi ke backup ya background ke, udhar jaakar lead role kar li... It is shocking for them (industry people). They couldn’t believe it, and that’s why they are trying to pass the credit to someone or something. But I want to say, ‘Arey, apni country mein toh dilwa nahin paaye, Hollywood mein kaise dilwayenge’,” says Srivastava, who made her Hollywood debut with Never Back Down: Revolt (2021). The actor, who has signed two more projects, adds that she doesn’t harbour resentment against anyone “because karma is a big thing”.

However, Srivastava, who has featured in projects such as Garam Masala (2005), Traffic Signal (2007), Oye Lucky Lucky Oye (2008) and 13B (2009), is not in a mood to let someone else take the credit. “I’ve made everything for myself, brick by brick… It took a long time,” she concludes.