Lauren Gottlieb talks about the 'biggest lesson' she learnt in Bollywood

New Delhi, May 8 (IANS) Choreographer-dancer Lauren Gottlieb, who made her debut in Hindi cinema in 2013 with “ABCD: Any Body Can Dance,” said that entering Bollywood was a steep learning curve because she was unprepared for the industry's unique pace, expectations, and culture.

Asked what’s one lesson the industry taught her that no one prepared her for, Lauren told IANS: “If I take Bollywood specifically, I’d say the biggest lesson was realizing just how much I didn’t know going in.”

“The inexperience—not just in performing, but in understanding how the industry and India itself worked—was a real wake-up call. I didn’t know who was who, how the timelines worked, what was expected, or where to push versus where to hold back,” she added.

The actress further added: “The hours are long, shoots can stretch way beyond the scheduled time, and there’s just a whole rhythm to it that’s very different from other industries.”

Lauren said in those first few years, she often found herself thinking “Wait, what’s going on?”

“But over time, you just become more attuned to the pace, the process, and the personalities involved. Now I can walk onto a set and think, “It’s all good—it’ll get done,” because I’ve grown into the rhythm of it.”

She added: “I think that kind of learning curve probably applies to a lot of people in their industries—you just have to live it to learn it.

Looking forward, Lauren has choreographed and performed on the number “Who Rules The World” from “The Royals.” It stars Ishaan Khatter, Bhumi Pednekar, Sakshi Tanwar, Nora Fatehi, Dino Morea, Milind Soman, Chunky Panday, Vihaan Samat, Kavya Trehan, Sumukhi Suresh, Udit Arora, and Luke Kenny.

The upcoming series, which will premiere on May 9 on the streaming giant Netflix, will have Bhumi playing an ambitious and feisty CEO of Work Potato, Sophia Shekhar, and Aviraaj Singh, a dashing party prince played by Ishaan.

--IANS

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