Amy Jackson is the beauty queen turned Bollywood star.

A former runner-up in the Miss England contest, the Liverpool lovely has become one of the biggest names in the Asian movie industry.

Her new film, the blockbuster Eek Deewana Tha, will be appearing in cinemas around the country from Friday, February 17.

Here Amy talks about her surprising career success.

How is the change from Britain to Bollywood?.

I was new to acting before my role in Madrasapattinam. Though I was familiar with Bollywood, since there are many in Britain who watch Hindi movies, I hadn’t watched any of these films before I came to Chennai.

I have been away from home since I was 17. I went to the US to start my modeling career at a very young age. So, venturing into films and handling the pressure isn’t a big task. I feel more comfortable in saris than gowns.

Unlike Madrasapattinam, where I wear gowns, in Ek Deewana Tha, I wear saris and kurtas. I had never worn one before I started shooting for the film and believe it’s the most elegant outfit for a woman.

I had no prior training in acting. Once Madharasapattinam was released, we had a premiere in Liverpool for my friends and family.

They were surprised to see me on screen Even today, many of my friends who are in university back in England find it tough to be believe that I’m part of Indian cinema. Some of them think I am crazy.

For me, this has been a dream come true. I’m not in a hurry to take up acting classes, though. I want to be able to perform naturally. Acting shouldn't be forced, How did you enjoy working on the film and with your fellow actors?.

A couple of weeks before we began shooting, we did a workshop to understand the personalities of the characters we were playing. Gautam gave me a lot of freedom. He is such a calm and collected director who gives his actors the freedom to experiment. It was nice to be able to give my opinion.

What are your plans for the future?.

I will be starting work in a Tamil film opposite Vikram in March.

Why should we watch film?.

I play a Malayali Christian girl in Ek Deewana Tha. We have shot the movie in New York, India, Kerala and Chennai over five months. It was a great experience working with such a young and talented actor like Prateik.

Oscar-winning composer AR Rahman made sountrack.

Was it hard to memorise Hindi for your part in Ek Deewana Tha?.

The British accent is hard to miss. Ever since I decided to shift base to India and made Mumbai my home, I have made an effort to learn Hindi and even took diction classes. I couldn't understand a word of Hindi earlier. Though my voice will be dubbed in the movie, it was easier to memorise Hindi than Tamil.

Before takes, I used to practise my lines for almost an hour to get it right.