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Candice Boucher on her Bollywood debut

South African Guess model and Playboy cover girl, Candice Boucher, has just wrapped up filming in her debut acting role in the upcoming Bollywood film Azaan, which is expected to be released later this year.

Boucher, who has previously worked with renowned Indian director Prashant Chadha on TV commercials and video shoots, will star alongside Bollywood stars Sachiin Joshi and Orey Pandu in this suspense thriller, which is billed for a September release.

After shooting all over the world, right from Morocco, Sudan, Poland, Germany, France and four cities in India, the film's climax is currently being shot in Plettenberg Bay, Cape Town and surrounds.

Sachiin Joshi plays an informant who has to go undercover beyond enemy lines to save the country from the threat of biological warfare.

Acting debut

Boucher, who plays the role of a sand artist, is no stranger to the camera. She's appeared in FHM, Sports Illustrated and Cosmopolitan magazines and is the international face of Guess. She says her character is very close with Sachiin's role in the movie. "Sachiin's character needs a lot of emotional support, and that's where I come in," she teases.

HOT GALLERY: Candice Boucher in her new movie Azaan

The movie role came about after director Chada asked Boucher to star in the film. "Having worked with Prashant before, he approached me to star in this film and the entire script of my character was written around my real-life personality."

Boucher says that working on a movie was "an eye opener" but it's something she'd like to do again. "I had an acting coach sit down with me and discuss my character at length and how I should portray her. It is something different that I'm used to as a model, but was very enjoyable to do."

While shooting continues in South Africa, most of Boucher's scenes were filmed in Morocco and Germany, adding she’s merely been "hanging out" with the cast as they shoot scenes in and around Cape Town.

"I shot for three weeks on set and it was a great learning experience for me. Initially I was nervous, but the entire cast and crew put me at ease on set and I had a blast."

Getting into the role


For her role as a sand artist, the film's producers flew in a professional sand artist to teach Boucher the ins-and-outs of the art.

"They had a woman come in and show me what a professional sand artist does and how to throw sand as well. I had so much fun doing that and if ever I wasn't sure about anything, she would show me what to do."

Boucher was also expected to learn how to speak Hindi for the film and even learned some Hindi dance moves too.

"I have two left feet and it took a little getting used to," she laughs. "There are two dance scenes in the film and the dance scenes go on for a long time in the movie. I had the other cast members in laughter when I missed a few steps," adds Boucher.

"As for my Hindi skills, let's just say I kept the cast entertained so much that the producers had to change my dialogue back into English."

Life after Playboy

After gracing the cover of Playboy USA in April 2010 – which was shot on location in Kenya – and posing nude in a pictorial spread, Boucher says she "won't take her clothes off again", not even for the SA edition.

"It's something I wouldn't want to have happen again because when I did it, I had my reasons and I'm happy with how it turned out. I enjoyed the shoot and I've decided I'd like to leave it at that and not to go back."

Commenting on the local edition of the men's lifestyle magazine, Boucher says "it's about time Playboy came to SA."

"The magazine is an international brand and it's great that SA finally has its own edition, too. Tracy McGregor was an excellent choice as the first cover girl and I love the content and look of the first local edition."

Cannes bound

Boucher, who splits her time between SA and New York throughout the year, jets off to France this week for the Cannes Film Festival, where she'll hobnob with the Hollywood and film industry elite.

"I'm looking forward to networking and also hanging with some friends. After Cannes, it's off to New York for the next six months ."

With her next trip to SA only coming in December, Boucher says she's looking forward to summer. "I get to avoid winter and spend summer in the US and return just in time for summer here. I can't wait!"

* Clayton Morar is a celebrity expert and autograph hunter. See his expolits at www.claytonmorar.com

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