Samir's Bio: -- 6 ft-2 inches height, 180 lbs weight; Black hair, Brown eyes; -- Have been Lead Male Model in music video for Asha Bhosle (produced by Ketan Anand) and Music Video for Smita Thakeray -- Had formal training at Barbizon School of Modeling, San Francisco Kishore Namit Kapoor Acting Course, India Voice and Diction, San Francisco -- Have appeared in some TV commercials such as New York Life Insurance, Suntex Tissues, Denim Cologne, Times Credit Card, Look Address (Internet company) -- Have appeared in print ads as Southern Comfort, Tata Press Mobile, Oshima Textile, Babubhai Jag Jivandas Textile

FREMONT, JAN 16 — Samir Bhatnagar had a dream.

For most of his life, the young Indo-American model and aspiring actor who grew up in Alameda and Castro Valley fantasized about going to Bollywood and becoming a movie star.

So in 1996, after graduating from the University of California, Berkeley, and working for a year and a half at Hewlett-Packard, the 24-year-old Bhatnagar decided to quit his job and move to Mumbai.

"This is it," he told his parents. "I really want to do this. I want to go and become a Bollywood actor. If I don't do it now, I'll never do it. I want to be the lead. I think it's my calling in life. I don't want to have regrets when I'm old."

Perhaps not surprisingly, his father, who had moved to the United States in part so his children could have more opportunities, was less than overjoyed about his son's desire to be on the big screen.

"To be honest, my reaction was not very positive," said his father, Ashok Bhatnagar. "He had a good life here and a good job. It would not be easy for him to survive in Mumbai."

But survive he did, at least for 10 months, modeling for Denim cologne, Southern Comfort and Tata Mobile. He also worked as a video jockey for Channel V, India's music television venue, and served as a runway worker for Indian designers Prasad Biddapa and Vikram before returning to California.

Today Bhatnagar, now a slender man in his mid-30s, stars in the movie "Lo Aaya Samir" (Here Comes Samir), co-written and directed by Jitender Kheterpal, loosely based on Bhatnagar's experiences as a young Indo-American following his dreams to Bollywood.

On Saturday, he rented the Naz 8 Cinema at the Paseo Padre Parkway Shopping Center in Fremont to premiere the film, which he hopes will appeal to second-generation Indo-Americans drawn to Bollywood.

Born in Jaipur, India, Bhatnagar moved with his family to California when he was in fifth grade.

Here, Bhatnagar split his time between performing in plays, participating in Indian cultural events and fashion shows, and playing tennis.

In his sophomore year of high school, Bhatnagar's family moved to New Delhi. He found adjustment difficult and moved back to California the following year.

"It was tough (in India), because the schooling is more ahead compared to the high schools here," he said. "So I was an A student growing up here and suddenly, there, I was barely doing OK."

Now, sipping tea in front of a local coffee shop, Bhatnagar, wearing a red turtleneck, black shirt and jeans, recalls his decision to head to Bollywood.


"All throughout my time at (Hewlett-Packard), everything was great but it was very monotonous," he said. "It was not what I really wanted to be doing. As I got older, I thought, 'I still have time to do something different.'"

In India he began to get modeling and television work, relying in part on his reputation as an Indo-American, but still, his parents pressured him to go back to California.

"My problem was I was so hung up on being on the big screen that I was probably not patient enough," he said. "I was also getting pressure from my parents: 'You're doing good, but (in America) the dot-com is booming,' and everyone is supposedly making all this money. 'What are you doing? You went to school at Berkeley. You could instantly be making all this money. ...' At that time, it was the California gold rush."

After 10 months, Bhatnagar moved back to Castro Valley and began to work in the technology sector. But he continued to model and act before joining his friend Kheterpal on "Lo Aaya Samir."

Not everything in the movie is based on his life. The character, he said, is much more rebellious than the soft-spoken Bhatnagar. There also are specific scenes added for comic effect, such as one where the main character takes a job at a massage parlor.

So what's the message of the movie?

"This is the American Dream. People come to America, and they all work hard. No matter what your heritage is, you get rewarded," he said. "But you don't get rewarded right away. You stumble. And he doesn't compromise his values along the way as he follows his dreams."

Bhatnagar would not give away the ending and say whether the main character becomes a success.

But, when it comes to his real life, his father has already made up his mind.

"I saw how he's had such a big passion for this," Ashok Bhatnagar said. "He's done very well and decided to pursue his dream. I've been very impressed with how he's managed everything."

For more information, log on to http://www.loaayasamir.com  or http://www.samirmedia.com

(Courtesy: Daily Review)