Actor Elnaaz Norouzi, who was born in Iran and raised in Germany, now lives and works in India. Recently, she spoke about her identity in an interview, saying that she often feels she belongs to multiple cultures. She described herself as "Iranian-German-Indian" and, more broadly, as a global citizen.
Elnaaz told The Indian Express, "Most of my life, I've felt like I don't belong. And that'll happen to anybody who doesn't live in the country they were born in. That's natural."
She added, "I had to move to another country where I had to prove that I belonged there. I do see myself as German in a lot of ways because my upbringing was very German. But just when I'd proved myself in Germany, I relocated to India and had to prove myself all over again."
"Forever and ever, I'll belong to Iran, no matter where I go. Even though I live in India now, I'll never truly belong here because it's not the country I was born in. Do I see it as my country, accept it and call it home? Always, one hundred per cent. And I'll always call Germany my home as well," she said, elaborating further on the subject.
Breaking into the Indian film industry was not easy. Speaking about the challenges she faced, she said, "Putting on your 'man's hat' to deal with them is important, while not losing your femininity. It's tough because some days, you feel like, 'Okay, I'm just a guy' because you're dealing with so many men."
"You just have to learn to deal with men. Men have their own way of doing things, just like women do. Women need to learn how to handle men and vice versa. It's been so many years, yet we still haven't learnt how to co-exist and work together," Elnaaz added.
Elnaaz rose to fame with her appearance in Sacred Games.
Also Read: 'Iranians Rising Against A Regime That Weaponised Religion,' Says Sacred Games Actor Elnaaz Norouzi
