How actress Evelyn Sharma is using her dream run in Bollywood to fuel the dreams of those in need

“I was walking down the street in Germany one day when I was ‘discovered’. The next thing I knew, I walking International runways,” says Indo-German actress Evelyn Sharma, popular for her roles in Bollywood hits like Yaariyan and Yeh Jawani hai Deewani.

While fame and glamour chose her, she on the other hand chose to make use of her star power to serve the not-so-privileged. Evelyn tells HerStory about her tryst with Bollywood, and how it inspired her to start the NGO Seams for Dreams.

The Indian connection

Born to a German mother and Indian father, Evelyn grew up in a small town in Germany. She moved to Frankfurt to study business and languages. She was pursuing her career in real estate in Germany when modelling happened. Having grown up in Germany, Evelyn had always thought of herself as more German than Indian, but traveling changed her.

Jet-setting around the world during my modeling days exposed me to different cultures and ended up strengthening my Indian roots,

she says.

This also prompted Evelyn to move to India in 2006 and pursue a career in Bollywood. From organised Germany to chaotic India, the transition was not easy. But, Evelyn went with the flow.

I was always keen on knowing about different cultures and learning languages came naturally to me. Moving to India also brought me closer to my Punjabi roots and I eventually fell in love with India.

While still getting acquainted with the Indian way of life, Evelyn was overwhelmed to see how people were living on so little.

I always wanted to help, but was not sure how I should go about it,

she says.

As her career in Bollywood started taking shape, Evelyn realised the power and following all the fame had got her. But instead of signing on more dotted lines, she decided to start her own charity organisation with her popularity as capital!

I wanted to use my fame and popularity for a cause.

Being in the glamour industry Evelyn figured that the best things to give away would be clothes and thus Seams for Dreams was born. She started organising events where people could donate clothes and raise funds for those in need.

But was Evelyn always drawn towards social service?

I was inspired by my mother who always emphasised the importance of giving. After moving to India, I saw a lot of catastrophes from floods to earthquakes and was so overwhelmed that I wanted to help everyone. As that was not going to happen, I decided to do the next best thing, to bring everybody together.

Seams for Dreams

It first started with The Nepal Earthquake. Evelyn and her team realised that people affected by natural calamities needed regular, everyday wear like jeans and shirts. Seams for Dreams started accepting donations of both cash and clothes. She started organising fundraisers that brought the glamour industry together for a cause.

We wanted to make charity fun.

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Within no time, the who’s who of Bollywood and Fashion was rallying for her cause. Seams for Dreams has brought together top fashion designers like Nishka Lulla, Wendell Rodricks, Falguni & Shane Peacock, film and fashion stylists and celebrities through two fund raising events so far. Along with raising funds for those in need, these events also serve as a platform for budding fashion designers to showcase their talent.

The core team currently has seven members and Evelyn is one of the directors. Headquartered in Mumbai, Seams for Dreams ties up with various other nonprofits in cities all over India for its garage sales and fundraisers.

“We believe in tying up with a lot of other people because the vision just becomes so much bigger,” says Evelyn.

Bollywood and Charity

Evelyn is just about establishing herself in Bollywood and has the added responsibility of running her organisation. How does she manage to squeeze in time?

Every actor has a lot of free time on hand.

she says begging to differ from most other actors, who seem to have very little time on hand.

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As an actor, the more successful you become, the lesser projects you are working on, and that leaves you with a lot of free time. I can choose to take a vacation or party during these times but Seams for Dreams keeps me on my toes and I think it is a much more demanding job than acting.

Evelyn has completed working on 10 Bollywood projects, and is working on a couple more that will be on the floors soon. While her purpose of shifting to India is proving to be the right career move, she seems to have a found a bigger purpose, one that transcends fame and wealth.

Both acting and charity keep me going. Through one I make money and the other I spend all the money!