South African model Illene Hamann, who made her Bollywood debut in Pooja Bhatt's "Rog" that released this week, says it was "a huge challenge and a big risk" to act in a Hindi film.

Illene, signed on by Pooja after she featured on the cover of L'Officiel magazine, says she "loved the idea of doing a Bollywood film". "Bollywood is now looked up to in a big way, so why not give it a shot?"

Illene had to work hard on her Hindi for the film. "Hindi is very tough but they are giving me classes every day. At least I understand what they are saying now after three weeks of training," she says.

"Right now they write the entire Hindi script in English for me and that's how I pick it up. My Hindi teacher recorded my dialogues on a dictaphone and I later went and wrote those dialogues the way they are pronounced."

How was the experience in India?

"For the first week, it was a big cultural shock, but Mumbai is so amazing. I mean I can just wake up in the morning, go for a walk on the streets and everyone is smiling at me. I have never seen anything of that sort ever in any part of the world. I think I'm spoilt by this place."

There are some intimate scenes shot with you in the film?

"Yes, there is a bit of that with Irrfan Khan. I play an advertising executive who is called Maya. Her character is very similar to my personality - a person who starts at the bottom of the advertising industry and works her way up. Her murder investigation forms the centre of the film.

"Maya has a mixed ethnic identity. Her mother is Indian but her father has a Western background. The film is based on her encounters with three different men who come into her life at various junctures. One guy (Suhel Seth) ends up falling in love with her. He's much older than Maya but is completely obsessed.

"The second one (Himanshu Malik) lives off rich women. Maya is supposed to get engaged to him. The third man (Irrfan) is a police officer. He falls in love with her photograph, which he stumbles upon during a murder investigation.

"Irrfan is a very interesting man, he is so peaceful and quiet," says Illene.