Size zero is not popular in South: Erica Fernandez

Bollywood actress work hard to shed weight to get size zero, but debutant Erica Fernandez, who is awaiting the release of her debut Tamil film Ainthu Ainthu Ainthu, feels she needs to put on weight to look presentable for the Southern film industry.

"From what I have perceived, audiences in South like to see chubby heroines. I don't think size zero is popular in South as much as it is in Bollywood. I have started working to put on some weight for my upcoming films," Erica told IANS

However, she is being careful. "I don't want to put on too much of weight because I have a couple of Bollywood films that I am likely to sign soon. I will know from the release of my Tamil film whether audiences have accepted me the way I look," she added.

She says it is very important to look right and good in showbiz. "Lot of time and effort needs to be invested for actors to look good. Despite my busy schedule, I take out time to work out. After all, it's showbiz and, therefore, we need to look good," she said.

In her debut film Tamil thriller, Erica is paired opposite Bharath. "It was fun working with Bharath. He is a known star in the industry and, therefore, I believe sharing screen space with him will add value to my career," said Erica, who has been modelling since the age of 16.

Besides modelling for print and TV ads, Erica was one of the finalists of Miss India 2012. She says modelling is not important to be an actor. "I don't think modelling is necessary to be an actress. Both professions may be about facing the camera, but they are poles apart. As a model, one barely needs to pose, but as an actor one needs to perform, memorise dialogues and do so many other things," she added.

She is also awaiting the release of her Hindi film, tentatively titled Love Is Not Mathematics, along with Tamil films Vizhithiru and Virattu and Telugu film Dega.