The trend of non-Indian heroines making entry into the Bollywood continues as after Brazilian Giselle Monteiro and Mexican Barbara Mori, it's Egyptian Aida Elkashef's turn to make her debut in an Indian movie as an actress. Director Anand Gandhi says initially he didn't plan to cast her in "Theseus' Ship". Gandhi told IANS on phone from Mumbai, where he is currently shooting the first leg of the movie, his first feature film, "I met Aida at the Berlin Film Festival where she had come to showcase one of her movies. She is just 21 and the daughter of a respected filmmaker from Egypt. She has made a couple of short films and is also an amazing actor."

Gandhi, who earned acclaim for his short films, "Right Here Right Now" (2003) and "Continuum" (2006), says he had initially written Aida's part for an Indian actress but failed to find the right face for it.

He also said, "Her role wasn't planned at all. She had come to India after we met in Berlin and started helping us out in auditioning male actors so that we could cast one of them opposite the character of a female photographer."

He further added, "During the screen test, we saw how excellently she was performing the lines of the photographer. It was then that we decided to rewrite the part for an Egyptian girl rather than an Indian one."

"I can't name the actresses I auditioned, but there were around 30-35. It was frustrating because none of them fitted the bill. I feel there is a serious dearth of acting skills and craftsmanship here because sadly the general perception among Indian actors is that if you hit the gym regularly, you can make a successful actor." (With Inputs from Agencies)