After my first scene, Dharamji blessed me: Kristina Akheeva

With the release of her first film just days away, model-turned-actress Kristina Akheeva is a bundle of nerves.
She makes her debut opposite Sunny Deol in Yamla Pagla Deewana 2, where she plays the role of an Indo-Brit girl, Reet. She says, “My character comes from a well educated, high-society family in the UK. Sunny falls in love with her at first sight and they have a sweet, cute romance.He is a tough guy, but when it comes to her, he is like a cuddly teddy bear. It’s very adorable to see Sunny so shy,” she says.
While the shooting has been one of the best experiences of her life, the actress says that the auditions were nerve-wracking. “They’d been auditioning for four months and had auditioned hundreds of girls, since they had a set look in mind. From what I heard later, when they’d asked for me, they weren’t sure I would be any good. It was like ‘we’ll do a really fast audition and send her off since her Hindi would be a problem’. We had a brief meeting — they gave me four scenes in Hindi, one being a monologue. They auditioned me in front of the entire unit. Surprisingly, it went well, though I was extremely nervous,” she reveals.
Kristina sailed through the shooting. “After my first scene with the three Deols, Dharam ji placed his hand on my head and blessed me, saying that I will be very successful. It meant so much, coming from a legend like him,” she concludes.
Yamla Pagla Deewana 2, produced by Sunny Sounds Pvt Ltd and YPD Films Ltd UK, releases June 7.