Daddy's Daughter

What do you get when you mix a Norwegian with a Kashmiri? A stunner! Lisa Fotedar MIller, whose mother is from Norway and father from India, is 5 feet 11 inches tall and quite an eye-catcher. Fotedar, whose parents had separated when she was young, had lost touch with her father completely. Her curiosity consumed her and she finally traced him through the Internet (thanks, Google!). They spoke several times on the phone and eventually he flew to New York to meet her.

Fotedar, who’s an actress and director, made a short film on this emotional first meeting, My Father’s Eyes, which has been shown at several festivals, including LA Shorts Fest, Asian American International Film Festival, San Diego Girl Film Festival, Indo-American Arts Council Film Festival, Nolita Film Festival, and recently premiered at the Pune International Film Festival.

Fotedar’s unusual looks bagged her a part in Sopranos’ when the new season premieres in March and she’s also a fitness model in the current issue of Luxury Spa Finder Magazine. Her second short film has sold to Atomfilms and she has now embarked on a feature film, Namaste, elaborating on the story of finding her father.

“Culturally, I didn’t ‘get’ to be Indian when I was young,” she says. “Connecting to my Indian heritage is a privilege that I am grateful for.” She’s taken Hindi film, dance and yoga classes, started studying the Ramayana and hopes to learn Hindi. She’s learning how to cook Indian food, but admits she’s had a lot of cooking disasters.

Any plans for Bollywood? “I would love to do Bollywood films. I would do it in a heartbeat if they would have me.” But she’d need some really tall heroes! “Yes! Tall heroes or creative camera framing! Or maybe I have to be the hero – perhaps a Bollywood version of Wonder Woman? One thing I love about the movies is that you can be anyone or anything.”