Anek actor Andrea Kevichüsa opens up about racial discrimination, reveals a make-up artist didn't know Nagaland is part of India

Model Andrea Kevichusa is all set to make her Bollywood debut with Anubhav Sinha ’s socio-political thriller, Anek , co-starring Ayushmann Khurrana . Set against the geopolitical backdrop of North East India, the film features her in the role of a national-level boxer who faces discrimination as she hails from the North East. In a recent interaction, the actress has revealed a real-life incident where she faced such kind of discrimination.

"I was probably about 16 years of age and I remember telling the makeup artist that I have a flight to Nagaland and I am dying to go back home because I miss being with my parents. And she was like, 'Oh is it? When are you going back to your country?' I was really taken aback because she didn’t really know that Nagaland is a part of India,” she told DNA in an interview.

The actress hopes that after watching her upcoming film, people will change their perspective. "These are the few incidents that people from the northeast actually face besides the blatant name-calling. So, I really hope that people after seeing this film change their perspective," she added.

For the unversed, Andrea is born and brought up in Kohima, Nagaland. She started her modeling career at the age of 15, becoming one of the youngest models in North East India. She has done modeling for prominent designers like Anamika Khanna, Sabyasachi, and Anu Ahuja among others.

Andrea further elaborated on how her upcoming film highlights this issue, "It shouldn't matter how I look or what language I speak. I am an Indian because I was born in this country. I think it’s quite a disservice to the fact that people have to prove that they are an Indian. I am from Nagaland and I don’t think it's right to prove myself being an Indian to other cities or to the rest of the country. Anek is a film that kind of tackles this angle from a very different perspective and of course it’s a great film," she said.

Anek is set to hit theatres on May 27, 2022.