There were several Indian artists in the film who helped me for the trip. Deepti [Daryanani, who has a meaty part in the film] told us that there will be plenty of grime and poverty but there would also be plenty of warmth. We met many wonderful people when we shot the last Cheetah Girls movie in Barcelona, but there is nothing like the people we met in India.

When did you first hear about going to India?

It was about two years ago. After the second [Cheetah Girls] movie, Disney asked us where we would want to go to shoot another movie, and we said a couple of names, and India was definitely one of them.

Director Paul Hoen thought that given the comfort level you have in Los Angeles, it must have been a bit difficult adjusting to living and working in India for two months.

We learned to adjust quite fast and began enjoying our stay. It has been many months since I returned from India and I just cannot get the sights, the colour and people out of my mind.

What was it like to work in an American film shot entirely in India?

We had quite a few Americans in the crew including Paul [Hoen]. It was quite different shooting in India because technically some of the equipment used is different from the ones we use in America. But we were amazed at the resourcefulness of our Indian colleagues and technicians.

You also got to ride an elephant and sing a song?

Ramu [the elephant] has a special role in the film. She is 73 years old, I believe. When I first saw her, she was lying on her belly and was very still. It was quite another thing to see her slowly get up. It wasn’t easy for us in the beginning to get atop of her. We had to take a ladder.

Photograph: Alberto E Rodriguez/Getty Images

In the picture: Sabrina Bryan.

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