Indian-American actors/actresses
A list of Indian-American actors/actresses in Hollywood.
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- Writer
- Producer
Aziz Ansari was born in Columbia, South Carolina, to Fatima, a medical office worker, and Shoukath, a gastroenterologist. His family is from Tamil Nadu, India. He graduated from NYU as a business major in 2004. He graduated from the South Carolina Governor's School for Math and Science in Hartsville, SC. He previously attended Marlboro Academy, a private school in his home town of Bennettsville, SC.
Starting out in television like the hit comedy Parks and Recreation (2009), he later had bit parts in the films I Love You, Man (2009), Funny People (2009), and Get Him to the Greek (2010), among others, before co-starring in the comedy 30 Minutes or Less (2011).- Actress
- Producer
- Writer
Vera Mindy Chokalingam is an Indian-American actress, comedienne, producer, writer and director from Cambridge, Massachusetts known for playing Kelly Kapoor in The Office, Disgust in Inside Out, and creating The Mindy Project. She also appeared in Wreck-It Ralph, Despicable Me, The 40-Year-Old Virgin, Ocean's 8, and Monsters at Work. She has two children.- Producer
- Director
- Writer
Born in Puducherry, India, and raised in the posh suburban Penn Valley area of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, M. Night Shyamalan is a film director, screenwriter, producer, and occasional actor, known for making movies with contemporary supernatural plots.
He is the son of Jayalakshmi, a Tamil obstetrician and gynecologist, and Nelliate C. Shyamalan, a Malayali doctor. His passion for filmmaking began when he was given a Super-8 camera at age eight, and even at that young age began to model his career on that of his idol, Steven Spielberg. His first film, Praying with Anger (1992), was based somewhat on his own trip back to visit the India of his birth. He raised all the funds for this project, in addition to directing, producing and starring in it. Wide Awake (1998), his second film, he wrote and directed, and shot it in the Philadelphia-area Catholic school he once attended--even though his family was of a different religion, they sent him to that school because of its strict discipline.
Shyamalan gained international recognition when he wrote and directed 1999's The Sixth Sense (1999), which was a commercial success and later nominated for six Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Director and Best Original Screenplay. Shyamalan team up again with Bruce Willis in the film Unbreakable (2000), released in 2000, which he also wrote and directed.
His major films include the science fiction thriller Signs (2002), the psychological thriller The Village (2004), the fantasy thriller Lady in the Water (2006), The Happening (2008), The Last Airbender (2010), After Earth (2013), and the horror films The Visit (2015) and Split (2016).- Producer
- Actress
- Soundtrack
Padma Lakshmi was born on 1 September 1970 in Madras, Tamil Nadu, India. She is a producer and actress, known for Glitter (2001), Star Trek: Enterprise (2001) and Taste the Nation with Padma Lakshmi (2020). She was previously married to Salman Rushdie.- Actress
- Producer
- Music Department
Priyanka Chopra Jonas (née Chopra) was born on July 18, 1982 in Jamshedpur, India, to the family of Capt. Dr. Ashok Chopra and Dr. Madhu Chopra, both Indian Army physicians. She had a very varied upbringing. She started her education at La Martinière Girls College in Lucknow as a resident student; a short stay at Maria Goretti College in Bareilly prepared her for further studies in the U.S. Having completed tenth grade in Boston, Massachusetts, U.S., she decided to become a software engineer or a criminal psychologist. She enjoys Indian music and dance; flair for writing poetry and short stories; reading, especially biographies; and has worked for a lot of social welfare programs.- Actor
- Producer
- Executive
Kunal Nayyar is an British actor. He moved from India to the US in 1999. He first moved to Portland, Oregon, to study business. He started acting in plays as a way of making new friends. He took acting classes, but he went on to graduate from the University of Portland with a degree in business, as something to fall back on. He then went on to get a master's degree in fine arts from Temple University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He did some work for the prestigious Royal Shakespeare Company in Stratford, UK. He then landed his breakthrough role in The Big Bang Theory (2007) in 2007, just a year after graduating.- Actor
- Producer
- Writer
Aasif Mandvi was born on 5 March 1966 in Bombay, Maharashtra, India. He is an actor and producer, known for Million Dollar Arm (2014), Evil (2019) and The Proposal (2009). He has been married to Shaifali Puri since 26 August 2017.- Poorna Jagannathan is an actress and producer. She is best known for her portrayal of Safar Khan in the HBO miniseries "The Night Of" as well for her role as Nalini Vishwakumar in the Netflix teen comedy series "Never Have I Ever" by Mindy Kaling.
She also initiated, produced and acted in the play "Nirbhaya," written and directed by Yaël Farber, which dealt with breaking the silences around sexual violence, including her own. "Nirbhaya" won the prestigious 2013 Amnesty International Award and was called by The Telegraph as the "One of the most powerful pieces of theater you'll ever see". The play is considered one of the most impactful moments in India's history of women's empowerment.
Jagannathan was previously a series regular in the Netflix psychological thriller series Gypsy, a recurring in the Apple TV+ crime drama miniseries Defending Jacob, and part of the ensemble cast for HBO's anthology series, Room 104.[4] She also starred in the cult Bollywood comedy, Delhi Belly as well as the movie Share, which was directed by Pippa Bianco, produced by A24, and released on HBO in 2019.
Jagannathan was named among the top 100 Most Impactful Asians by Gold House for 2021, as well as being named among the top 50 most powerful women in India in 2014. She was featured among the top 10 in Femina Magazine's "India's 50 most beautiful women" in 2012, in addition to Vogue naming her as one of 8 Indian women changing the face of beauty in India. - Actor
- Writer
- Producer
Kumail Nanjiani was born on 2 May 1978 in Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan. He is an actor and writer, known for The Big Sick (2017), Life as We Know It (2010) and Stuber (2019). He has been married to Emily V. Gordon since 14 July 2007.- Actor
- Producer
Sendhil Ramamurthy (born May 17, 1974) is an American actor. He is best known for his roles as geneticist Mohinder Suresh in the NBC sci-fi drama Heroes and Jai Wilcox in the action spy series Covert Affairs. He appeared as Abhay in the Indian film Shor in the City. He played Gabriel Lowen in The CW sci-fi romance series Beauty & the Beast. He has one sister who is also a physician. He and his sister were raised in San Antonio. There, he went to Keystone School and graduated in 1991. He is the cousin of comedian and film director Jay Chandrasekhar. Ramamurthy is married to actress Olga Sosnovska with two children, daughter Halina and son Alex, and lives in London.- Actor
- Producer
- Additional Crew
Kal Penn was born and raised in Montclair, New Jersey, to Asmita, a fragrance evaluator, and Suresh Modi, an engineer. His parents are Gujarati immigrants to America from India. He attended the Freehold Regional High School District's Performing Arts High School where he participated in the school's theater productions. In 1995, he moved to Los Angeles to study at the UCLA's prestigious School of Theatre, Film and Television. He majored in film and sociology. He began his acting career in several indie films. His breakthrough film role came in the comedy Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle (2004). Several Harold & Kumar films have followed. He went on to appear for 2 years in the television series House (2004). He developed an interest in politics from his grandparents who marched for India's independence. In 2009, he joined the Obama administration as an Associate Director.- Actor
- Director
- Producer
Born Sahabzade Irfan Ali Khan, in Jaipur, Rajasthan (NW India) January 7, 1967 to a Pashto-speaking Muslim family. Khan's mother, Begum Khan, was from the Tonk Hakim family and his father, Jagirdar Khan, from the Khajuriya village near the Tonk district, ran a tire business.
The Khan family name comes from Turkish and Mongol languages and mean "king" or great leader. Descendants of Genghis Khan (13th century) in central Asia adopted Islam and became the Moghuls, who conquered India for several centuries until British rule.
Irfan was a skilled cricket player. In his early 20's he was selected for the CK Nayudu Tournament (a stepping stone to First Class cricket). He did not turn up for the tournament owing to lack of funds and as a result he focused on acting.
In 1984 he earned a scholarship to the National School of Acting in New Delhi.
He was awarded the Padma Shri, India's fourth highest civilian honor for his contribution to the field of arts.
His portrayal of Paan Singh Tomar in the acclaimed biographical sports drama Paan Singh Tomar (2011) won him the National Film Award for Best Actor and a Filmfare Critics Award for Best Actor. His performance in the BAFTA Award nominated romance The Lunchbox (2013) earned him universal acclaim by the critics and audiences.
Globally, Khan was in The Warrior (2001), The Namesake (2006), The Darjeeling Limited (2007), the Academy Award-winning film Slumdog Millionaire (2008), New York, I Love You (2009), The Amazing Spider-Man (2012), Life of Pi (2012), Jurassic World (2015) and Inferno (2016). As of 2017, his films have grossed $3.643 billion at the worldwide box office. In 2018, Khan was diagnosed with a neuroendocrine tumor.
Khan got married to his wife Sutapa Sikdar, in 1995. She is a Hindu of the Brahmin caste. She is a movie producer, dialogue writer and screenwriter. Among her famous movies are Khamoshi: The Musical (Dialogue Writer, 1996), Supari (Dialogue Writer, 2003), Kahaani (Dialogue Writer, 2003), Madaari (Producer, 2016), Qarib Qarib Singlle (Producer, 2017)
They have two kids: Ayaan Khan, Babil Khan
Unlike most Indian film stars, Irrfan has been outspoken on religion. On Arnab Goswami's talk show, he took on Muslim fundamentalists, including India's Grand Imam. Irrfan Khan argued against "transactional religious interaction" and for "personal religious discovery"..."to discover yourself, to find God". Though he admits he is "not an authority" on the Koran and Islamic Holy scriptures he has bravely stood by his comments despite heavy criticism and even threats of violence. He's aware of the dangers that his frank comments pose to him and his family. His wife commented, "We are very proud of him."- Actor
- Director
- Writer
Ravi Kapoor was born in Liverpool, England, UK. He is known for Four Samosas (2022), Crossing Jordan (2001) and Miss India America (2015). He is married to Meera Simhan.- Sakina Jaffrey was born on 14 February 1962 in Manhattan, New York, USA. She is an actress, known for Raising Helen (2004), Definitely, Maybe (2008) and The Truth About Charlie (2002). She has been married to Francis Wilkinson since 8 September 1990. They have two children.
- Actor
- Writer
- Producer
Hasan Minhaj was born on 23 September 1985 in Davis, California, USA. He is an actor and writer, known for The Daily Show (1996), 2017 White House Correspondents' Association Dinner (2017) and Hasan Minhaj: Homecoming King (2017). He has been married to Beena Minhaj since 2 January 2015. They have one child.- Actor
- Producer
- Writer
Vir Das was born in Dehradun, India. He was raised in Nigeria and studied at the Indian Language School in Lagos, Nigeria, as well as at The Lawrence School, Sanawar and in Delhi. He obtained a bachelor's degree from Knox College, Illinois, in Economics and Theatre with a concentration in performance.
It was at Knox that Das first explored stand-up comedy with his first special, Brown Men Can't Hump, which debuted in Knox's Harbach Theatre. He received a Richter Scholarship for Theatre and later went on to win the Colton Performance Award for Outstanding Achievement in Acting from Knox. He was also a teaching assistant for Beginning Acting at Knox.
After graduating from Knox, Das was accepted into the Stanislavsky Program of the Moscow Arts Theatre and performed eight plays. At Havard, Das trained as a method actor for six months.
Das returned to India in April 2003 and since then has performed over 100 comedy shows in all the major cities. He debuted six comedy specials written, directed by and starring him at the India Habitat Center. These include Brown Men Can't Hump, Not for Members Only, Bored of The Things!, Who Let the Das Out?, Son of a Switch! and VIRagra.
He started his career on TV when he hosted two TV shows for Indian TV channel 'Zoom' The first one was 'Is Route Ki Sabhin Linein Maast Hain' where he was an agony uncle. The second was his own stand-up comedy late night show 'Ek Rahin Vir'. Das also hosted 'Top Drive - Getaway' for Indian channel ' Star World'.
Das has appeared on a variety of comedic television programs before being cast in acting roles, as the comic relief in 'The Curse of King Tut's Tomb', a Hallmark mini-series filmed in India. He began filming for his first two Bollywood roles in early 2006. He played a small role Vipul Shah's 2007 movie 'Namastey London'. Das moved to Hindi Cinema starring in films like 'Delhi Belly', 'Badmaash Company' and 'Go Goa Gone'.
In 2012, Das released his first music album with his comedy rock band Alien Chutney. Das serves as vocalist on the album, entitled Mauritian Chutney.
In Apr 2017, he became the first Indian Comedian to make a comedy special for Netflix called 'Abroad Understanding' and released his second Netflix special 'Losing It' in Dec 2018.
In 2019, he made his debut in American television in the series, Whiskey Cavalier (2019)- Writer
- Actor
- Producer
Hari Kondabolu was born on 21 October 1982 in New York City, New York, USA. He is a writer and actor, known for All About Steve (2009), Manoj (2007) and From Here (2020).- Born Naveen William Sidney Andrews in London on January 17, 1969. His parents were both Indian immigrants from Kerala, India. In high school, he auditioned for drama school and was accepted at London's Guildhall School of Music and Drama. Two of his classmates were Ewan McGregor and David Thewlis. His studies paid off when he won a role in Hanif Kureshi's film, London Kills Me (1991). He is best known for his role as that 'Sikh bloke' in The English Patient (1996) and as Sayid in the popular television series Lost (2004). He splits his time between homes in Los Angeles and Hawaii, where Lost (2004) was filmed.
- Actor
- Producer
- Director
Dev Patel was born in Harrow, London, to Anita, a caregiver, and Raj Patel, who works in IT. His parents, originally from Nairobi, Kenya, are both of Gujarati Indian descent. His first role was in the UK TV series Skins (2007). His breakout role was in the Oscar winning film Slumdog Millionaire (2008). In May 2012, he played Sonny Kapoor in The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (2011). In March 2015, he had a leading role in two major motion pictures released in the theaters at the same time: Chappie (2015) and The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (2015).- Actor
- Writer
- Producer
Himesh Patel was born on 13 October 1990 in Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire, England, UK. He is an actor and writer, known for Yesterday (2019), Don't Look Up (2021) and Station Eleven (2021).- Rohan Chand was born in New York City.
At the age of 6, while playing little league baseball, he caught the eye of a prominent New York-based casting director that cast him in the role of Adam Sandler's adopted son in Jack and Jill (2011). Rohan embraced every aspect of his new career, and his enthusiasm for his work led him next to his memorable role of Issa in the critically acclaimed Showtime Series, Homeland (2011). With his keen interest in the process of movie-making, Rohan uses every opportunity to learn as much as possible about his film community as he continues to hone his acting skills in diverse and challenging roles. He has been seen in Peter Berg's Lone Survivor (2013) with Mark Wahlberg and in his co-leading role in Jason Bateman's directorial debut, Bad Words (2014). He appeared in Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle (2017) and can now be seen in Netflix's Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle (2018) in the title role. - Actor
- Soundtrack
Indian-American Neel Sethi was born on December 22, 2003, in New York City. He is a child actor who landed a break-out role as Mowgli in John Favreau's 2016 live-action version of the classic tale 'The Jungle Book'. He also starred in the short film 'Diwali' (2013).
He was selected for the role of Mowgli among thousands who auditioned across the globe. Also, he is the only real human character in The Jungle Book (2016), with everyone else providing voices for the beast characters.- Actor
- Director
Best known for his role as 'Ravi Ross' on Disney Channel's hit series "Jessie" and its spinoff, "Bunk'd," Karan Brar is taking Hollywood by storm and seeking to break cultural barriers in the entertainment industry. He stars in "Bunk'd" on Disney Channel and 2018 will be a major year for Karan as he breaks out of his Disney roles for some exciting new projects including the Legendary Entertainment/Universal Pictures film "Pacific Rim: Uprising" and the YouTube Red teen dramedy series, "Youth and Consequences."
"Pacific Rim: Uprising" is a science-fiction monster film produced by Guillermo del Torro. The film is a sequel to the 2013 film "Pacific Rim" and also stars John Boyega, Scott Eastwood, and Jing Tian. Karan plays 'Suresh,' a new cadet for the Jaeger pilot program. To prepare for the role, Brar worked out with a personal trainer for several months both before and during shooting of the film, which included stunt and fight training as well as a monitored diet. The film is set to be released early 2018.
Born and raised in Bothell, Washington, Karan pursued various sports to try to break out of his shell and find his 'niche'. He soon realized sports were not going to be his calling in life, and his father, who had done theater in India, suggested that he try acting. After a few workshops and acting classes, Karan discovered he was far more talented and comfortable on stage than he was on the field. So, at the age of eight, he signed with an agent and quickly booked his first commercial.
Not long after, Karan's big break came when he landed the role of 'Chirag Gupta' in Twentieth Century Fox's hit trilogy based on the New York Times best-selling book series, "Diary of a Wimpy Kid." The films included: "Diary of a Wimpy Kid" [2010], "Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules" [2011] and "Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days" [2012]. However, it is Karan's role as 'Ravi' on "Jessie" that truly put Karan on the map. In "Jessie," Ravi was a recent immigrant to the United States who was struggling to adapt to his new surroundings, while still trying to hold on to his Indian culture and religious beliefs. Since then, Ravi has adjusted and come into his own, bringing his considerate and sometimes naïve but hilarious personality to life in "Bunk'd."
With Karan's family originally being from Punjab, India, he understands the importance and responsibility of portraying the Disney Channel's first-ever series regular Indian character. Brar has helped the channel diversify culturally, while sharing his native Indian culture with its target audience of kids and families. On the other hand, as a first-generation Indian-American, Karan also feels strongly that it is his duty to show his fans and the entertainment industry that he is more than the cliché "Indian character," and he has something much greater to offer.
Karan has several other projects under his belt as well, including NBC's "The Night Shift" where he played a young Afghan drug dealer, the Disney Channel Original Movie, "Invisible Sister" and guest-star appearances on several Disney Channel shows. Brar also voiced the character of 'Mason' in Twentieth Century Fox's "Mr. Peabody & Sherman" and 'Prince Zandar' in Disney's "Sophia the First."
When he is not busy lighting up the big or small screens, Karan enjoys quality time with his friends doing anything that can get them outdoors, from beach trips to hiking and travel adventures. He also spends time working on his photography and videography techniques. Karan enjoys playing video games and discovering new music as well. His philanthropic efforts include lending his voice as a celebrity ambassador for Thirst Project, the world's largest youth water organization whose goal is to build a socially-conscious generation that will end the global water crisis. Brar also has a passion for helping those affected by or who have loved ones affected by mental illness. He hopes to help remove the stigma around the topic and let others know it is something that is okay to discuss. Karan currently resides in Los Angeles.- Actor
- Producer
- Music Department
Anupam Kher is a renowned Indian actor who has worked extensively in the Indian film industry, as well as in international films and television shows. He is known for his versatile acting skills and has portrayed a wide range of characters throughout his career.
Kher studied at Simla in D.A.V. School and graduated with a degree in Economics from Simla's Himachal Pradesh University. He studied at the Government College, Sanjauli. He left the university mid-way and instead studied the Indian theatre in Chandigarh at Panjab University.
Kher was a part of several plays at Himachal Pradesh University. He took drama classes in Lucknow at Raj Bisaria's Bharatendu Natya Akadem for a small role in Sheeshay Ka Ghar (1984), his debut film.
In 1984, he landed his first role in Bollywood with the film Saaransh (1984). He played the role of a 65-year-old teacher in this film. He went on to work in projects like Tezaab (1988) and Vijay (1988), for which he was awarded the Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor.
Kher received public recognition for his performances in movies like Ram Lakhan (1989) and his first Filmfare Award under the Best Performer in a Comic Role category. He also won a Filmfare Critics Award and a National Film Award - Special Mention for his role in Daddy (1989).
In 1990, Kher starred in Dil (1990) and received another Filmfare Best Supporting Actor nomination. He was critically acclaimed for his performance in Lamhe (1991). He won a Filmfare Award as the Best Comedian for his role in the movie.
Kher later appeared in Beta (1992) alongside Madhuri Dixit and Anil Kapoor. In the same year, his role in Khel (1992) earned him another Filmfare Award as the Best Comedian.
Kher went on to star in massive hits like Darr (1993), which got him a Filmfare award as the Best Comedian. In 1994, he appeared in another blockbuster, Laadla (1994).
One of Kher's most successful movies Hum Aapke Hain Koun..! (1994), earned him another nomination as the Best Supporting Actor at Filmfare and was the second movie for which he won the National Film Award, this time under the category Best Popular Film.
Kher's performance in Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge (1995) got him his fifth Filmfare Best Comedian Award and was highly applauded and loved by the audience.
After a gap of almost three years, he made his comeback in yet another blockbuster Kuch Kuch Hota Hai (1998), for which he received the Best Comedian nomination at Filmfare.
Kher also tried his skills in directing with Om Jai Jagadish (2002) and was also the producer. In 2007, Kher collaborated with Satish Kaushik and started Karol Bagh Productions, a film production company. They produced their first movie Teree Sang: A Kidult Love Story (2009), in 2009.
He hosted TV shows like Say Na Something to Anupam Uncle (2000) and The Anupam Kher Show (2014).
Kher has also appeared in international films like Bend It Like Beckham (2002) and Bride & Prejudice (2004).
Kher received the Best Actor Award at the Karachi International Film Festival for his performance in I Did Not Kill Gandhi (2005), which was also produced by him.
His other foreign films were The Mistress of Spices (2005), Lust, Lust, Caution (2007), the TV show ER (1994), Oscar-winning Silver Linings Playbook (2012), and Hotel Mumbai (2018).
He also received a nomination for BAFTA for his supporting role in the British sitcom The Boy with the Topknot (2017).
In 2019, Kher took the role of Manmohan Singh, India's former Indian Prime minister in The Accidental Prime Minister (2019). In 2022, he appeared in the controversial film The Kashmir Files (2022), which was a blockbuster.
Kher was awarded the best actor for his role in a short film titled Happy Birthday (2021) at the New York City International Film Festival. He is a recipient of two National Film Awards, eight Filmfare Awards, two International Indian Film Academy Awards, two Screen Awards India, and five other state/viewer awards.
His handprint was preserved for posterity at Bandra Bandstand in Mumbai as he was honoured by 'Walk of the Stars'. The US state of Texas presented him with the "Honoured Guest" award for his contribution to cinema and art.
He has also been honoured with Civilian Awards like the Padma Shri in 2004 and the Padma Bhushan in 2016 by the Indian Government for his contribution to Indian cinema and arts.
Anupam Kher tied the knot with Kirron Kher, a fellow Indian actress, in 1985. Kher became a stepfather to Kirron's son, actor Sikandar Kher. He was appointed as the goodwill ambassador of the Pratham Education Foundation in 2010, which works to improve the education of children in India. In 2021, Kher received an honorary doctorate degree in Philosophy of Hindu Studies from the Hindu University of America.- Actor
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- Producer
Manish Dayal was born in Orangeburg, South Carolina, USA. Manish is an actor and director, known for The Hundred-Foot Journey (2014), Viceroy's House (2017) and Halt and Catch Fire (2014). Manish is married to Snehal Patel.- Suraj was born and raised in New Dehli, India. His mother, Shailaja Sharma, is an economist and his father, Gokul Churai, is a software engineer. He has a brother and sister who are both younger than he. His father is from Thalassery, Kerala and his mother is from Palakkad, Kerala.
Suraj was one of 3,000 to audition for the role of Pi in Life of Pi (2012) and he attended the audition only because his younger brother asked him to. Several rounds of auditions ended when director Ang Lee chose Sharma because of his expressive eyes and innocent appearance. Since appearing in Life of Pi (2012), Sharma has returned to his study of philosophy at St. Stephens College, Delhi of Delhi University. Sharma received a Las Vegas Film Critics Society Award for Youth in Film for his performance in Life of Pi (2012) as well as an MTV Movie Award and a Saturn Award.
In 2019, he costarred in the sequel Happy Death Day 2U (2019). - Actor
- Director
- Writer
Satya Bhabha is director, writer, and performer whose work has played at multiple festivals including TIFF, SXSW, Palm Springs, Telluride Film Festival, and OutFest. He has recently directed series for Apple, Showtime, Amazon, Max, and Peacock, and acted in the recent Netflix hit series "Scott Pilgrim Takes Off. He has developed and sold original projects to Amazon and Conde Nast.
As an actor, Satya is known for playing the lead role of Saleem Sinai in Salman Rushdie's "Midnight's Children", Matthew Patel in "Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World", and the recurring role of Shivrang in the TV show "New Girl". He also recurred on the Wachowski's "Sense8" and the Peabody Award winning "Key & Peele." Satya has also acted extensively in theatre, at venues such as The Public Theatre, The Signature Theatre, Shakespeare's Globe in London, and the Center Theatre Group in Los Angeles.
Satya has also created award-winning immersive theatre experiences such as the 48-hour long luxury travel adventure The Headlands Gamble. He has toured original live performance work throughout Europe and the USA and is the artistic director of LA based theatre company Public Assembly.
Satya graduated from Yale University where he was awarded the Sudler Prize for the arts. He has been playing the cello since he was very young and has performed around the world in symphonies, chamber ensembles, and bands. He played cello for the LA-based band He's My Brother She's My Sister. He has been married to his husband since 2016.- Actor
- Producer
Sacha Dhawan was born in Bramhall, Stockport to Hindu parents though he attended a Roman Catholic secondary school, Thomas Aquinas College, in nearby Stockport. There one of the authors he studied for his final exams was Alan Bennett, by whom he was very impressed. He began as a child actor at the age of 12 and attended the Laine-Johnson School of Acting in Manchester. He is also an accomplished tap-dancer. His enthusiasm for Bennett was such that when auditioning for his play 'The History Boys' on the London stage, Sacha impressed the author not just with his acting but by reciting a poem he had composed about the play and its author. He has appeared in stage versions of 'The History Boys' around the world as well as in the 2006 film adaptation. On television he appeared in two high profile series 'In the Club' as an expectant father and 'Last Tango in Halifax' as a toy boy.- Actor
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Rizwan Manji was born on 17 October 1974 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. He is an actor and producer, known for The Dictator (2012), Charlie Wilson's War (2007) and Transformers (2007). He has been married to Taslim Manji since 12 June 2002. They have three children.- Actor
- Producer
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Parvesh Cheena was born in Naperville, Illinois, USA. He is an actor and producer, known for Barbershop (2002), Centaurworld (2021) and Transformers: Rescue Bots (2011).- Actor
- Producer
- Director
Ravi Patel was born on 18 December 1978 in Freeport, Illinois, USA. He is an actor and producer, known for Transformers (2007), Meet the Patels (2014) and Master of None (2015). He has been married to Mahaley Patel since 8 November 2015. They have one child.- Director
- Actor
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Jay Chandrasekhar was born on 9 April 1968 in Chicago, Illinois, USA. He is a director and actor, known for Super Troopers (2001), Club Dread (2004) and Beerfest (2006). He has been married to Susan Clarke since 18 September 2005. They have three children.- Actor
- Soundtrack
The youngest of four siblings, Brian George was born in Jerusalem to Jewish parents in July 1952. Both of his parents had immigrated to Israel from India. His father was born in Iraq but raised in Bombay and his mother was born and raised in India. When Brian was a year old, the family immigrated to London. Brian attended an all-boys school in London. In 1966, the family moved to Toronto and he attended public high school, followed by the University of Toronto, where he became involved in theater. George left before graduation and formed an unsuccessful theater group. He joined The Second City, where he trained with comedy greats including John Candy, among others. His career in acting and voice-over work has flourished ever since.- Actor
- Producer
Marshall Manesh was born in Iran. He lost his father at an early age and was raised by his beloved mother, whom he feels he got his strength from to make it in show biz. He came to the United States in the mid '70s and joined the Persian Theater Group and traveled extensively through out the US, Canada and Europe for 8 years. His debut film was "True Lies" as Jamal Khaled, directed by James Cameron. Marshall has done more than 100 feature films, television projects and more than 40 commercials. He had a recurring roles on Will & Grace as Mr. Zamir, How I Met Your Mother as Ranjit, Scrubs as Dr. Akbar, and was also a series regular on Andy Barker P.I.- Actor
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Nik Dodani is an actor, writer, and comedian, best known for Netflix's Atypical. He will next be seen in Lee Isaac Chung's Twisters and the upcoming New Line Cinema feature, The Parenting. As a stand-up comedian, Dodani made his network television debut on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. He made his Broadway debut in Waitress. His directorial debut Blue Boy is set to be released in 2024. Born in Dallas, Texas and raised in Phoenix, Arizona, Dodani now resides in Los Angeles, California.- Actor
- Soundtrack
Omar Doom was born on 29 June 1976 in Easton, Pennsylvania, USA. He is an actor, known for Inglourious Basterds (2009), Death Proof (2007) and Grindhouse (2007).- Actor
- Producer
Deep Katdare was born on 4 July 1970 in Buffalo, New York, USA. He is an actor and producer, known for American Desi (2001), Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (1999) and The Cookout (2004). He has been married to Reshma Shetty since 19 March 2011. They have one child.- Actor
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Dileep Rao was born on 29 July 1973 in Los Angeles, California, USA. He is an actor and director, known for Inception (2010), Avatar (2009) and Drag Me to Hell (2009).- Actor
- Producer
Raja Fenske was born on 25 September 1988 in Rockville, Maryland, USA. He is an actor and producer, known for Bubble Boy (2001), CSI: Miami (2002) and Peep World (2010).- Reshma Shetty was born on November 2, 1977 in Manchester, England, UK to Hindu parents. She was raised in England and Richmond, Virginia in the United States. She is a graduate of the famed Opera department at the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music. On stage, Reshma received rave reviews in 2006 for her performance as Priya in A.R. Rahman's and Andrew Lloyd Webber's First National tour of "Bombay Dreams", as well as critical praise in 2008 for her Off-Broadway debut in Ayub Khan-Din's "Rafta Rafta" at the New Group in New York.
Her work on stage immediately parlayed into her next success as she burst on to the small screen in USA's flagship series Royal Pains (2009) as one of television's first female South Asian series leads. Additional television credits include Showtime's Happyish (2015), Bravo's Odd Mom Out (2015), 30 Rock (2006), and CSI: Miami (2002). Her feature film credits include Steam (2007), Delivering the Goods (2012), Allegiance (2012), and Hated (2012). Since "Royal Pains" ended its eight and final season, she has been starring in CBS's Pure Genius (2016) as Dr. Talaikha Channarayapatra.
She is one of the beautiful faces of Cindy Crawford's "Meaningful Beauty" line and and is a dedicated member of the USA Network's "Characters Unite" program: an award winning public service campaign meant to raise awareness and combat prejudice and discrimination. - Actress
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Hannah Simone stars on FOX's hit series, New Girl (2011), opposite Zooey Deschanel. Simone hosted HGTV Canada's popular design show, "Space for Living", before moving onto Canada's largest music channel, "MuchMusic". After MuchMusic, Simone moved to Los Angeles, where she hosted two seasons of WCG Ultimate Gamer (2009), for the SyFy channel. Simone recently completed production on H+ (2011), the second Warner Premiere Digital Web series, made in conjunction with Dolphin Entertainment and produced by Bryan Singer. Born in London, Simone grew up living abroad and participating in local theater productions in Saudi Arabia, India, Greece and Canada. A graduate of the University of British Columbia, she majored in International Relations and Political Science, before going on to work as a human rights and refugee officer with the United Nations in London.- Actress
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Jameela Alia Jamil was born on February 25, 1986 in Hampstead, London, England. She was discovered at 22 years old when she was teaching English in London, UK. Her first job in media was a main host on T4, the UK's leading youth entertainment show where she made a name for herself interviewing famous actors and musicians. She also became a journalist for Cosmopolitan Magazine and the Huffington Post. After 2 years she became the face of Maybelline and Nails Inc and in 2012, she released her own clothing line after much success in the fashion industry and having shot for both British and American Vogue, Glamour Magazine, Cosmopolitan Magazine and Japanese teen vogue. 2012 also saw her nominated for the PPA and BSME awards for her writing. Later that year she was recruited by BBC Radio 1, to host her own show on their network, which would lead to a promotion in 2013, where she made history as the first woman in its 60 years on air, to host the Official Chart on the esteemed radio station. With much success, including several awards for radio and a growing DJ career she stayed on at the network until 2015, when she left to pursue a writing career in the United States. After signing as a comedy writer at 3ARTS and being taken on by UTA, in spite of never having acted before, she was sent to audition for Michael Schur's latest project on NBC, The Good Place (2016), to star opposite Ted Danson and Kristen Bell. The comedy series will air in the fall of 2016 for 13 episodes.- Actress
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Geraldine is an Australian multi-hyphenate who recently wrapped the co-lead alongside Margaret Qualley in Ethan Coen's DRIVE-AWAY DOLLS for Working Title and Focus Features. She wrapped the Apple feature THE BEANIE BUBBLE with Zach Galifianakis, Sarah Snook, and Elizabeth Banks as well as Susanna Fogel's feature, CAT PERSON for Studio Canal, which is based on the viral New Yorker short story of the same name.
Geraldine could be seen in Cory Finley's Emmy Award Winning BAD EDUCATION opposite Hugh Jackman and Allison Janney as well as the lead in the romantic comedy THE BROKEN HEARTS GALLERY, which Sony acquired in a bidding war. Geraldine was just seen as the lead of 7 DAYS, which was produced by the Duplass Brothers. She recently wrapped production on the fourth and final season of Simon Rich's TBS series MIRACLE WORKERS alongside Daniel Radcliffe and Steve Buscemi.
Geraldine can also be seen starring in the title role of the Will Smith produced Muslim coming-of-age drama HALA, which made its premiered at Sundance Film Festival and was acquired by Apple as their first narrative feature. Geraldine had her breakout role as 'Kayla' opposite Leslie Mann, Ike Barinholtz and John Cena in the Universal comedy "Blockers," directed by Kay Cannon.
Geraldine has been named to The Hollywood Reporter's Next Gen Talent list, received the Rising Star Award at the 2019 Toronto International Film Festival, and was a finalist for Australians in Film's prestigious Heath Ledger Scholarship.- Actress
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Maitreyi Ramakrishnan is a Canadian actress. She is known for her leading role as Devi Vishwakumar in the Netflix teen comedy series Never Have I Ever (2020-present) and Priya in the Pixar film Turning Red (2022). Ramakrishnan was born and raised in Mississauga, Ontario. She graduated from Meadowvale Secondary School.- Actor
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Shelley Malil is proud to be from the Indian state of Kerala and a Malayalee, a people known for their comedic take on life. He had dreams of becoming a comedic actor like his idol Bob Hope, whom he first saw on a neighbor's TV set--the only one in the fishing village on the southern tip of India where he was raised. He caught national attention as "Chad", one of the Budweiser "What are you doing?!" guys in Anheuser-Busch's inspired "Whassup?!" commercial spin-off. The clever send-up was voted best Super bowl commercial by a number of trade publications, magazines and entertainment commentators.
Shelley first came to Hollywood in 1995, after a two-year stint at New York's famed American Academy of Dramatic Arts. With less than $1000 to his name and a phone number of a friend of a friend in his pocket, he drove his van west. He asked his mother to make him a roll-away mattress so that he would be able to sleep in his van until he could find room and board. Within three weeks of his arrival he had landed a manager, a guest-star role on FOX's The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr. (1993), his SAG card and an apartment. Since then he has worked steadily, appearing in numerous commercials, television shows and films.
Shelley began pursuing his dream of entertaining people on the stages of Big Spring High School, where his leading turns often earned awards in district competitions in Texas, where his family settled after emigrating to the US in 1974. "Chili" and "Animal" were his teenage nicknames. He got a taste of fame during those years when a group of students formed "The Animal Fan Club" because of his popularity in theater and as a disc jockey at a local radio station. After high school, he spent a few seasons performing classic musicals on the Dallas dinner theater circuit until he auditioned for the American Academy of Dramatic Arts. He longs to return to the stage, where his turn as "Bottom" in "A Midsummer Night's Dream" at the Stella Adler Theatre garnered him a Best Featured Actor nomination at the 1997 Los Angeles Ovation Awards. In his spare time, Shelley takes a Zen-like approach to golf, goes to approximately five films a week, devours motivational books and recently joined the Big Brother Program.- Actor
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Om Puri was an Indian actor who has appeared in both mainstream Indian films and art films. His credits also include appearances in British and American films. He has received an honorary OBE.
Puri was born in Ambala, Haryana. His father worked on the railways and served in the Indian Army. Puri graduated from the Film and Television Institute of India. He is also an alumnus of the 1973 class of National School of Drama where Naseeruddin Shah was a co-student.
Puri had worked in numerous Indian films and in many films produced in the United Kingdom and the United States. He made his film debut in the 1976 film Ghashiram Kotwal, based on a Marathi play of the same name. He has claimed that he was paid "peanuts" for his best work. He had collaborated with Amrish Puri as well as Naseeruddin Shah, Shabana Azmi and Smita Patil in art films such as Bhavni Bhavai (1980), Sadgati (1981), Ardh Satya (1982), Mirch Masala (1986) and Dharavi (1992). He had been active in cinema. He was critically acclaimed for his performances in many unconventional roles such as a victimized tribal in Aakrosh (1980) (a film in which he spoke only during flash-back sequences); Jimmy's manager in Disco Dancer (1982); a police inspector in Ardh Satya (1982), where he revolts against life-long social, cultural and political persecution and for which he got the National Film Award for Best Actor; the leader of a cell of Sikh militants in Maachis (1996); as a tough cop again in the commercial film Gupt in 1997; and as the courageous father of a martyred soldier in Dhoop (2003). In 1999, Puri acted in a Kannada movie A.K. 47 as a strict police officer who tries to keep the city safe from the underworld - it became a huge commercial hit. Puri's acting in the movie is very memorable. He has rendered his own voice for the Kannada dialogues. In the same year, he starred in the successful British comedy film East is East, where he played a first-generation Pakistani immigrant in the north of England, struggling to come to terms with his far more westernized children. Om Puri had a cameo in the highly acclaimed film Gandhi (1982, directed by Richard Attenborough). In the mid-1990s, he diversified to play character roles in mainstream Hindi cinema, where his roles are more tuned to mass audiences than film critics. He became known internationally by starring in many British films such as My Son the Fanatic (1997), East Is East (1999) and The Parole Officer (2001). He appeared in Hollywood films including City of Joy (1992), opposite Patrick Swayze; Wolf (1994) alongside Jack Nicholson; and The Ghost and the Darkness (1996) opposite Val Kilmer. In 2007, he appeared as General Zia-ul-Haq in Charlie Wilson's War, which stars Tom Hanks and Julia Roberts. He has worked in Hindi television serials like Kakkaji Kaheen (1988) (roughly meaning "Uncle says") as a paan-chewing 'Kakkaji', which was a parody on politicians, and Mr. Yogi (1989) as a suave 'Sutradhaar' who enjoys pulling the protagonist's leg. These two serials underlined Om Puri's versatility as a comedian. He received critical acclaim for him performance in Govind Nihalani's television film Tamas (1987) based on a Hindi novel of the same name. He essayed comic roles in Hindi films like Jaane Bhi Do Yaaro which reached a cult status, followed by Chachi 420 (1997), Hera Pheri (2000), Chor Machaye Shor (2002) and Malamaal Weekly (2006). His more recent Hindi film roles include Singh Is Kinng, Mere Baap Pehle Aap and Billu. Puri was seen in the role of Mohammad Ali Kasuri in Road to Sangam (2009). In 2010, he appeared in The Hangman. In 2011 he was in the Indian action movie Don 2. He had also worked in Aahat TV Series in some episodes during second season which was aired between 2004-2005 on Sony channel.- Actress
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Deepika Padukone, born 5 January 1986 in Copenhagen, Denmark, is an Indian model and actress. She is the daughter of former badminton champion Prakash Padukone. Her mother tongue is Konkani. Deepika has a younger sister named Anisha.
She has been modeling appearances in print and television advertising campaigns for Liril, Close-Up toothpaste and Limca, receiving many prestigious modeling offers, including brand ambassadorship of the Jewels of India, an annual jewelry exhibition. She hit the international scene when Maybelline made her their new international cover-girl face.
At the fifth annual Kingfisher Fashion Awards, for Indian models and designers, she was awarded the title of Model of the Year. Shortly after wards, she was chosen as one of the models for the Kingfisher Swimsuit Calendar for 2006, thus cementing her reputation as a supermodel. She also bagged two trophies at the Idea Zee F Awards in 2006 - female Model of the year (Commercial Assignments) and Fresh Face of the year.- Actor
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Amitabh Bachchan was born on October 11, 1942 in Allahabad, British India (present-day Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh, India) to legendary poet Harivansh Rai Bachchan & Teji Bachchan. He also has a brother named Ajitabh. He completed his education from Uttar Pradesh and moved to Bombay to find work as a film star, in vain though, as film-makers preferred someone with a fairer skin, and he was not quite fair enough. But they did use one of his other assets, his deep baritone voice, which was used for narration and background commentary. He was successful in being cast in Saat Hindustani. He got his break in Bollywood after a letter of introduction from the then Prime Minister Mrs. Indira Gandhi, as he was a friend of her son, Rajiv Gandhi. This is how Bachchan made an entry in Bollywood, starting with Zanjeer, co-starred with his future wife Jaya Bhaduri, and since then there has been no looking back.
He married Jaya Bhaduri, an accomplished actress in her own right, and they had two children, Shweta and Abhishek. Shweta is married, lives a non-filmy life and has two children.
Being friends with Rajiv Gandhi, got him to decide to run for seat in the Indian National Congress (political party) from his home town but had to leave mid-term because of controversies, particularly after Rajiv and he were implicated in the now infamous "Bofors" case along with the U. K. based Hinduja Brothers.
After a four year break, he was back in the unsuccessful Mrityudaata (1997), a comeback which the actor wanted to forget. Critics written him off but his career was saved with Bade Miyan Chote Miyan (1998). But four flops in 1999 and incurring debt of over 90 crore rupees of his sinking company ABCL saw him at an all-time low. To make matters worse, after the defeat of the Congress party, Bachchan lost considerable political support, the opposition made him a target, and his credit rating deteriorated to such an extent that a leading nationalized bank, Canara Bank, sued him for outstanding loans. He did bounce back, presenting the Indian version of Who Wants To Be A Millionaire called Kaun Banega Crorepati? (2000). After a series of hits with Mohabbatein (2000), Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham... (2001) and Baghban (2003) and Khakee (2004), Bachchan is showing no signs of slowing down and proving the critics wrong once again.
Amitabh and Jaya were interested in getting their son Abhishek married to Karisma Kapoor, the daughter of Babita and Randhir Kapoor, they went through a formal engagement, but later broke it off.
The former Miss World and Bollywood actress, Aishwarya Rai and Abhishek, were formally engaged on Sunday January 14, 2007, at the Bachchan residence in Juhu, Bombay, with the marriage taking place at the Bachchan residence on April 20, 2007.
On November 16, 2011, he became a Dada (paternal grandfather) when Aishwarya gave birth to a daughter in a Mumbai Hospital. He is already a Nana (maternal grandfather) to Navya and Agastye - Shweta's children.
He continues to be one of the busiest actors and singers in Bollywood as well as on TV, as can be seen from the commercials that he appears on, especially on Sahara One. Looks like there are no limits for this super-star and once the "Angry Young Man" of Bollywood.- Actor
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Omi Vaidya was born on 10 January 1982. He is an actor and writer, known for 3 Idiots (2009), The Desert Rose (2007) and American Aliens. He has been married to Minal Patel since 22 August 2009.- Actress
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Preity Zinta shot to fame as the refreshing, cool, wet model in the Liril commercial. She also modeled for Perk and her dimpled smile won the hearts of millions. Preity never thought she would be an actress. Kapoor saw her in the Liril commercial and liked her so much that he instantly decided that the next film he would announce would have her in the lead. However, 'Tara Rum Pum' never got made and is still pending since the director got very busy with his other projects.
But another offer soon came by, Kundan Shah's Kya Kehna (2000). Though the film was the first, Preity had actually begun shooting for her first release which was Mani Ratnam's Dil Se.. (1998). The film was a hit which won Preity accolades. Later Abbas-Mustan's Soldier (1998) that too was a hit at the box-office confirmed she was here to stay. Though Kya Kehna (2000) was her first film, but it released in 2000 and was the surprise hit of 2000.
Her role in Dil Chahta Hai (2001) and Dil Hai Tumhaara (2002) was appreciated and liked by all and that has made her an actress to reckon with in Bollywood. Her screen presence, charm and down to earth nature has made her the favorite actress of almost all the directors and producers. With banners and films like Rakesh Roshan's Koi... Mil Gaya (2003) with 'Hrithik Roshan', Nikkhil Advani's Kal Ho Naa Ho (2003) starring Shah Rukh Khan, Saif Ali Khan, and Jaya Bachchan, Farhan Akhtar's Lakshya (2004) with Hrithik Roshan and Amitabh Bachchan, Atul Agnihotri's Dil Ne Jise Apna Kaha (2004) starring Salman Khan and Bhoomika Chawla, Yash Chopra's Veer-Zaara (2004) with Shah Rukh Khan and Rani Mukerji, Siddharth Anand's Salaam Namaste (2005) with Saif Ali Khan, and Karan Johar's Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna (2006) with Shah Rukh Khan, Amitabh Bachchan, Abhishek Bachchan and Rani Mukerji, Preity has already made her place in the hearts of the public and also in Bollywood.- Actor
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Naidu's first professional acting job, which he won from an open call, was a leading role opposite Michael Keaton in the 1986 film Touch and Go (1986). This was followed by an ABC Afterschool Specials (1972) episode, No Greater Gift (1985), where he played Nick Santana, a 12-year-old boy with a terminal illness. Naidu then appeared in the MacGyver (1985) TV series' first-season episode, To Be a Man (1986) in 1986.
Other early film credits include Where the River Runs Black (1986) opposite Charles Durning and Vice Versa (1988). Between 1988 and 1995 he worked extensively in classical theatre.
Naidu returned to film acting in 1996 with Richard Linklater's SubUrbia (1996), for which he was nominated for the Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Male and competed against the likes of Samuel L. Jackson, Roy Scheider and Jason Lee.
On screen, Naidu starred in the cult film Office Space (1999), as well as appearing in such films as K-PAX (2001), SUBWAYStories: Tales from the Underground (1997), Requiem for a Dream (2000), Bad Santa (2003), The War Within (2005), The Guru (2002), Waterborne (2005), and Loins of Punjab Presents (2007). He co-starred as a series regular in the sitcom LateLine (1998) and had guest starring roles on the television dramas The Sopranos (1999), The West Wing (1999), and Bored to Death (2009).
Naidu has been working extensively with musicians from the Asian underground music movement for many years as a breakdancer and an M.C. His vocals have appeared on many records, most notably Talvin Singh's mercury award winner "OK".
In 2006, Naidu directed his first feature film Ashes (2010) which had its release in 2010 and for which he won Best Actor accolades from the MIACC Film Festival in New York and the London Asian Film Festival.
Naidu's most recent theatre credits include The Kid Stays in the Picture at the Royal Court Theatre, The Master and Margarita with Complicite, a world tour of Shakespeare's Measure for Measure with Complicite, The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui alongside Al Pacino, directed by Simon McBurney and The Little Flower of East Orange alongside Ellen Burstyn at New York's Public Theater directed by Philip Seymour Hoffman. In 2001 Naidu's solo theatre piece Darwaza was a sold-out hit at New York's Labyrinth Theatre.- Actor
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Jimi Mistry was born in 1973 in Scarborough, Yorkshire, England, UK. He is an actor and writer, known for RocknRolla (2008), 2012 (2009) and Blood Diamond (2006). He has been married to Flavia Cacace since 28 December 2013. He was previously married to Meg Leonard.- Actress
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Archie is an Emmy Award winning British actress best known for her role as Kalinda Sharma in The Good Wife, for which she was nominated for an Emmy three times in a row and went on to to be honored with a Golden Globe Nomination. She made her film debut in the critically acclaimed East Is East which won a Bafta for Best Film. She then went onto star in the Bafta and Golden Globe nominated international hit Bend It Like Beckham. She appeared in John Le Carre's The Constant Gardener, which was nominated for 10 Bafta's and won an Oscar and went on to work alongside Angelina Jolie in the gut wrenching A Mighty Heart. Archie then went on to star in 2 Bafta winning Netflix/BBC series; The Fall, opposite Gillian Anderson as well as Shetland. She recently starred on the American TV hit Blindspot and in the International blockbuster earthquake movie San Andreas opposite Dwayne Johnson. The New Year will see Archie lead the highly anticipated 6 part drama Next Of Kin on ITV.- Actress
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Parminder Nagra was born in Leicester, Leicestershire, England, UK. She is an actress, known for Bend It Like Beckham (2002), ER (1994) and The Blacklist (2013). She was previously married to James Stenson.- Actress Noureen DeWulf was born in New York and raised in Georgia. Her parents are from Pune, India. She was educated at Boston University's School of the Arts. One of DeWulf's first roles was in the Oscar winning short West Bank Story (2005). Acting success continued with roles in TV hits such as CSI: NY (2004), Numb3rs (2005), Outsourced (2010) and Hawthorne (2009). Feature film projects include Ocean's Thirteen (2007) and Ghosts of Girlfriends Past (2009). In 2012, DeWulf was cast alongside Charlie Sheen in the TV series Anger Management (2012).
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Dilshad Vadsaria was born in Karachi, Pakistan, of Portuguese and Indian descent. She moved with her family to the US at the age of six and spent her childhood in various parts of the country, including Chicago, Richmond (Virginia) and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She eventually moved to New York to study acting. Although she has appeared in a few films, much of her work has been in television, with a regular role on the series Greek (2007) and guest appearances on such series as NCIS (2003) and Bones (2005).- Actor
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Karan Soni was born in New Delhi, India. He made his film debut as Kemal in Yusuf Sumer's short comedy film Kaka Nirvana (2010), in which he co-starred with Rachel Quinn. In 2016, Soni rose to international prominence for his role as Dopinder in Tim Miller's action film Deadpool (2016), a role he later reprised in David Leitch's sequel Deadpool 2 (2018).- Actor
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Maulik Pancholy was born in Dayton, Ohio, USA. He is an actor and writer, known for 30 Rock (2006), Weeds (2005) and 27 Dresses (2008). He has been married to Ryan Corvaia since 28 September 2014.- Actor
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Ritesh Rajan was born on 23 October 1988 in White Plains, New York, USA. He is an actor and producer, known for Definition Please (2020), Russian Doll (2019) and Barbie: Epic Road Trip (2022).- Actor
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Danny Pudi was born on 10 March 1979 in Chicago, Illinois, USA. He is an actor and producer, known for Community (2009), DuckTales (2017) and Knights of Badassdom (2013). He has been married to Bridget Showalter Pudi since 5 June 2004. They have two children.- Actress
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Janina Zione Gavankar (born November 29, 1980) is an American actress and musician. Gavankar is also trained as a pianist, vocalist, and orchestral percussionist. She majored in Theatre Performance at the University of Illinois at Chicago.
Gavankar's roles include Papi, a lesbian lothario in The L Word; Leigh Turner, a police officer on The Gates; Ms. Dewey, the personification of a Microsoft branded search engine who commented on the user's searches; Shiva, the namesake of the sought-after trophy on The League; shapeshifter Luna Garza on HBO's True Blood; McKenna Hall on The CW's Arrow; and Meredith Bose on NBC's The Mysteries of Laura. She also played Diana Thomas on FOX's supernatural drama Sleepy Hollow.
Gavankar was born in Joliet, Illinois, to Peter Ganesh Gavankar, an engineer from Mumbai, who first traveled to the U.S. to pursue a master's degree, and Mohra Gavankar, from Pune, Maharashtra, who also emigrated to the U.S. from India. Her mother is half-Indian and half-Dutch.
Gavankar has acted in theatre, film, television, and online. Her most notable roles include Iden Versio, canon Star Wars character, and protagonist of Star Wars: Battlefront II, shapeshifter Luna Garza in True Blood, lesbian lothario Papi in The L Word; Ms. Dewey, the personification of a Microsoft live search engine; and Shiva, the namesake of the sought after trophy on The League. She regularly appears in Funny or Die shorts.
In 2006 she joined the cast of The L Word as a series regular, and shot all of the clips used for Ms. Dewey. In 2007, she landed a lead in CW pilot Dash 4 Cash. In 2008, Gavankar appeared in TV series Stargate Atlantis, Grey's Anatomy and NCIS, My Boys, and Factory. In 2009, she appeared in the TV shows The Cleaner, Dollhouse, Three Rivers, and The League, as well as indie movies Men, Interrupted, Indian Gangster, and Quantum Quest: A Cassini Space Odyssey. Gavankar played the voice of Nikki in Quantum Quest. She landed a lead role in The Gates, since cancelled, on ABC. She appears on CW's Arrow as a vice squad police officer and brief girlfriend to Oliver Queen.
Gavankar is an admitted gamer and has appeared on, as well as co-hosted, G4 TV's Attack of the Show!, Epileptic Gaming's Up All Night, where she helped review Rock Band, Burnout Paradise, and Army of Two.
In 2011 Gavankar became a series regular in HBO's True Blood as a public school teacher and shapeshifter, Luna Garza, who gets romantically involved with one of the main characters of the series.
Her indie movie, Satellite of Love, premiered at the Dallas International Film Festival in 2012, and her 2012 indie I'm Afraid of Virginia Wolf is in post-production. On December 20, 2012, Gavankar was the last person interviewed for the now cancelled Attack of the Show! which aired on G4 TV.
On August 3, 2013, Gavankar landed a role as a witch named Qetsiyah in the fifth season of The Vampire Diaries. She guest starred in the third season of Husbands.
In 2014, she starred as Amita in the video game, Far Cry 4. She also played Detective Meredith Bose on The Mysteries of Laura from 2014 to 2016.
She starred as Iden Versio, the main character in the campaign mode of the 2017 Electronic Arts video game Star Wars Battlefront II.
In 2018, she has two films releasing. Blindspotting is premiering at the Sundance Film Festival, and The Vanishing of Sidney Hall is being distributed by A24.
Gavankar returned to music with a cover of Kanye West's "Love Lockdown". Gavankar's former all female singing group, Endera, was signed to Cash Money Records Universal Records.
She collaborated on a project for a song called "Tell Me What" in India with Pratichee Mohapatra of Viva, Deep, and Navraaz. She has had songs licensed to movies and television, and has sung and played marimba on film scores. Gavankar was featured in Russian artist Ella Leya's music video for "Wish I Could", in the music video by San Francisco-based band Recliner for their single "Float Away", as well as the music video for Manu Narayan's band Darunam.
In August 2012, she released the single for her upcoming EP, entitled Waiting for Godot, and in November, Billboard premiered the official music video. It went on to win numerous film festival awards.
While in high school, Gavankar auditioned for the front ensemble of the Phantom Regiment Drum and Bugle Corps of Rockford, Illinois. Before hearing whether she had made the corps, she was accepted for the Yale School of Drama's summer camp, and went there. "I fell in love with drum corps when I was 13 years old", Gavankar has stated, and remains a strong fan of the activity. When she heard the Martin Garrix/Usher collaboration, "Don't Look Down", she had the idea of performing it as marching music. With assistance from Drum Corps International, she contacted the Jersey Surf Drum and Bugle Corps and arranger Colin Bell. She went into the studios in New York with fifty members of Jersey Surf and recorded the music video "Don't Look Down- #JustAddDrumCorps Edition" that was released in April 2015.
On May 20, 2015, Gavankar performed a percussion duet at Carnegie Hall with Questlove for the Best Buddies charity benefit.- Actress
Navi Rawat was born on 5 June 1977 in Malibu, California, USA. She is an actress, known for Feast (2005), The O.C. (2003) and Numb3rs (2005). She has been married to Brawley Nolte since 2012. They have one child.- Actor
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Utkarsh Ambudkar, also known by his stage name UTK the INC, is an American actor, rapper, and singer. He is known for his film roles including Pitch Perfect (2012), Blindspotting (2018), Brittany Runs a Marathon (2019), The Broken Hearts Gallery (2020), Free Guy (2021), and Tick, Tick... Boom! (2021). His television roles include The Mindy Project, White Famous, Never Have I Ever, and Ghosts. He recently appeared in the Hulu limited series The Dropout (2022). He made his Broadway debut in Lin-Manuel Miranda's improvisational hip-hop show Freestyle Love Supreme in 2019.- Madhur Mittal was born on 20 February 1990 in Agra, Uttar Pradesh, India. He is an actor, known for Slumdog Millionaire (2008), Million Dollar Arm (2014) and Pocket Gangsters (2015).
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Living in a Chawl in Tilak Nagar, Punjabi-speaking Anil was born in 1959 to Surinder and Nirmal aka Suchitra Kapoor. He has an elder brother, Boney, a sister, Reena, and a younger brother, Sanjay. His dad used to be Shammi Kapoor's Secretary.
A loner, without many friends, he studied in the nearby O.L.P.S. (Our Lady of Perpetual Succor) School, and was an ardent fan of Bollywood flicks that were telecast during the Ganesh Maha Utsav every year. He was a fan of Raj Kapoor, and it was this that influenced his acting, and people saw him as a mimic of the legendary showman. He landed a role as a child artiste with Shashi Kapoor in the lead, but the movie (Tu Payal Main Geet) was never released.
After school, he went to study in St. Xaviers College. He commuted by bus and train from Chembur to Bombay V.T., and the walked the rest of the way. It was here that he met Mazhar Khan. A distracted Anil was kicked out of College in the second year due to his lack of presence. His attempts to join the Pune Film Institute were in vain, as he failed in the written examination. He then decided to join Roshan Taneja's Acting school.
He first appeared on the silver screen in Hamhare Tumhare in a character role. His first lead role was in 'Woh 7 Din' and from thence on there has been no looking back. He has acted in close to a 100 movies, and has 5 in production. He has produced two movies (Gandhi My Father & Badhaai Ho Badhaai), as well as been a Casting Director/Outdoor In charge for 'Hum Paanch'.
Kapoor's first role in an international film was in Danny Boyle's 2008 Academy Award-winning film Slumdog Millionaire, for which he shared the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture. His performance in the eighth season of the action series 24 generated rave reviews from the American press Globally, Anil Kapoor is one of the most recognized Indian actors.
Anil met wealthy and chic model, Sindhi-speaking Sunita Bhambhani, and married her in 1984. Since then they have given birth to 3 children, kapoor has two daughters and a son Harshwardhan Kapoor.Kapoor's elder daughter is actress Sonam Kapoor. Rhea Kapoor attended school in New York and is now a producer in Mumbai.- Writer
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Nimesh Patel is known for Saturday Night Live (1975), The Oscars (2016) and 2017 White House Correspondents' Association Dinner (2017).- Producer
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Described as "America's Funniest Muslim" by CNN, AZHAR USMAN is among the "500 Most Influential Muslims in the World," according to Georgetown University. Standup comedy icon Dave Chappelle-for whom Azhar has opened over 50 times-commented in 2010: "Azhar Usman is untouchable. He's like a comedian from the future." Since that time, he has emerged as one of the pioneers of "Muslim comedy," working with a veritable Who's Who in the comedy business: Hasan Minhaj, Hannibal Buress, Ramy Youssef, Mo Amer. As a comedian, actor, and television comedy writer, he now provides creative producing and consulting services through his boutique services firm, Numinous Company, based in Chicago. As an actor, he joined the Marvel Cinematic Universe in the recurring comedic role of NAJAF THE GYRO KING in Disney+'s historic 2022 limited series, "MS. MARVEL."
As a versatile media professional, Azhar is as comfortable in front of the camera as he is behind it, serving as writer, producer, and talent on diverse creative projects throughout his career. He served as an executive producer and co-founding principal of KALIJAGA MEDIA LLC, an independent production company he ran with his longtime collaborator, Mo Amer. Those efforts led to Mo's first one-hour Netflix stand-up special in 2018 ("The Vagabond"), for which Azhar served as Consulting Producer. Additionally, he served as a Creative Advisor on Season 1 of Hulu's award-winning, A24-produced original series "RAMY" (starring Ramy Youssef), a Staff Writer and Executive Creative Advisor on the show's second season (co-writing an episode with Youssef), and as Co-Executive Producer and Staff Writer on Season 3 (once again co-writing an episode with Youssef). During the Pandemic of 2020, he served as a Staff Writer on another A24 project, MO, for Netflix. The series debuted to critical acclaim (100% on Rotten Tomatoes) in the Fall of 2022.
As a stand-up comic, Azhar has been profiled by over 100 major media outlets, including The New York Times, The Guardian, Sydney Morning Herald, The Times of India, DAWN (Pakistan), Al-Ahram (Egypt), Jawa Pos (Indonesia), and The Economist. In 2005, ABC's Nightline dedicated an entire episode to exploring his life and burgeoning comedy career. A former attorney, Azhar continues to perform at comedy clubs, theaters, festivals, campuses, conferences, conventions, and private events all over the globe. Over the past two decades, he has performed in over twenty countries, on five continents. He released his self-produced, underground comedy album "SQUARE THE CIRCLE" in 2003, which went on to gain a cult following among English-speaking Muslim communities worldwide. He went on to become a paid regular at the world famous Comedy Cellar in New York City in early 2017.
Azhar appeared in numerous documentaries (BBC, CBC, ABC, Al-Jazeera, PBS), starred in the award-winning, independent feature film "MOOZ-LUM" (starring Danny Glover and Nia Long, directed by Qasim Basir), and portrayed original sketch characters both on television (MTV, E4) and online (Tinku's World). In character as "Vijay the VJ," he served as a veejay for MTV Desi in 2005, interviewing such mega-celebrities as Snoop Dogg, Shakira, Hulk Hogan, Pitbull, Carmen Electra, and several others, at the MTV Video Music Awards. He served as a producer on critically acclaimed short films, including "THE BOUNDARY" (starring Alexander Siddig, directed by Julius Onah-sold to HBO); co-wrote and produced the stand-up comedy concert film "ALLAH MADE ME FUNNY: LIVE IN CONCERT" (directed by Andrea Kalin-limited 2008 theatrical release in the United States); recorded an appearance in "Triumph's Election Special 2016" for Hulu (produced by Funny or Die; executive produced by Conan O'Brien and Robert Smigel); served as creative consultant on Hannibal Buress' 2016 Netflix special "Comedy Camisado" and his 2020 indie special "Miami Nights"; appeared in Bassem Youssef's 2016 comedy series "Democracy Handbook" on Fusion's new digital platform, F-Comedy; and played a recurring role in both seasons of Amazon Studios' big-budget original series "PATRIOT" (created, written, and directed by Steve Conrad).
He holds a BA in Communication (with a minor in Spanish) from the University of Illinois at Chicago, and a JD from the University of Minnesota Law School. He speaks four languages and lives with his wife, Jennifer Usman, a visual artist, in the southwest suburbs of Chicago.- Actress
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Madhur Jaffrey was born on 13 August 1933 in Civil Lines, Delhi, British India. She is an actress and writer, known for Wolf (1994), Saagar (1985) and Shakespeare-Wallah (1965). She has been married to Sanford Allen since 1969. She was previously married to Saeed Jaffrey.- Actress
- Casting Department
Sarayu Blue is a stage, film, and television actress. While perhaps more well-known for her sharp comedic timing, she has also shown her great range in dramas, as seen in the Amazon limited series, "Expats," starring opposite Nicole Kidman, and directed by Lulu Wang. Blue began her career stealing scenes in David E. Kelley's medical drama, "Monday Mornings." She continued to work as a series regular, playing Kareema on The CW's, "No Tomorrow," and co-starred in the "Children's Hospital" spin-off, "Medical Police." Her breakout moment came when she starred as Emet in the female-driven NBC comedy, "I Feel Bad," produced by Amy Poehler. Since then, she has been seen in Hulu's Happiest Season, the second and third installments of the hit Netflix franchise, "To All the Boys I've Loved Before," the Apple+ TV series, "The Shrink Next Door," the Universal feature, "Blockers," and the Amazon feature, "A Million Miles Away."
Blue has also accumulated numerous guest roles on shows such as, "Grey's Anatomy (ABC)," "The Real O'Neals" (ABC), "Station 19" (ABC), "The Big Bang Theory" (CBS), "The Unicorn" (CBS), and "Veep" (HBO).
A classically trained theater actor, some of Blue's stage credits include Varya in, "The Cherry Orchard" (Yale Repertory Theatre), Belle in, "A Christmas Carol" (American Conservatory Theater), and Livia in, "The Tamer Tamed" (Shakespeare Santa Cruz).
Blue received her B.A. in Theater Arts from The University of Iowa, and her M.F.A. from The American Conservatory Theater, in San Francisco.- Actress
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Devika Bhise was born on 29 March 1991 in Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA. She is an actress and producer, known for The Accidental Husband (2008), The Man Who Knew Infinity (2015) and The Warrior Queen of Jhansi (2019).- Actress
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Summer Bishil was born in Pasadena, California. She and her family moved overseas when she was three. Summer attended British and American schools while her family lived overseas, She returned to her home town of Pasadena just shy of her 14th birthday. In love with the idea of becoming an actress since the age of five, Summer took her first acting class at 14. Nine months later she signed with an agent and manager and began to pursue her career full time. She attends college on her spare time, working towards her degree.- Actress
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Melanie is an actress and producer passionate about bringing more empathy to this world through her work. In line with that mission, she uses her platforms both on-screen and behind the camera to share powerful and diverse stories about women and minorities. She is best known for her work as Malaya Pineda on CBS's Code Black.
Born in Illinois, Melanie graduated from Stanford University with a degree in Mechanical Engineering while studying improvisational comedy on the side.
Post-graduation, she landed a high-profile corporate job, which she eventually quit to pursue her childhood dream of acting. She quickly landed a series of television roles including guest appearances on Rules of Engagement, Parenthood, and Nashville and large recurring roles on Netflix's Brown Nation and HBO's The Brink.
From 2015 to 2017, she played the series regular role of Dr. Malaya Pineda on the CBS medical drama Code Black.
In 2018, Melanie also became a producer for several different projects and shows. One of her projects, with South Asian women in the forefront, is in development with HBO.
Melanie is the co-founder of the not-for-profit Hospital for Hope India, which provides health care services to under-served villagers in rural India. She also holds a 2nd-degree black belt in Karate and is a trained pianist.- Actress
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Rebecca is best known for her appearance on NBC's flagship comedy 'The Good Place' as Kamilah Al-Jamil, the enigmatic sister and nemesis of Tahani Al-Jamil. Previous work includes roles on iconic shows 'Lost', 'ER' and Grey's Anatomy'. But her first major recognition in the US was for the role of 'Asha', one of the lead ensemble cast for NBC's primetime cult comedy 'Outsourced', for which Variety listed her as a "breakout performer", describing her presence on the show as "superb". Rebecca got her first TV break after being scouted to model on the BBC's iconic fashion show, 'The Clothes Show', whilst truanting from school. She studied Theatre and English at the exclusive King Edwards VI College in Stourbridge, whose alumni include Robert Plant and J.R.R. Tolkien. She graduated with a high class honours degree in English Literature from Bretton Hall, where she formed a theatre company and took a play to The Edinburgh Festival. Rebecca's film career began when she was cast as Mina in the Film4 feature 'Dog Eat Dog' alongside David Oyelowo and Ricky Gervais. She gained recognition and a cult following in the UK for her role as Arun Parmar in psycho drama 'Bad Girls', one of the first transsexual characters to ever feature on a primetime UK television series. Other early roles include appearances in crime series 'Second Sight' and 'Liverpool One', alongside Clive Owen and Stephen Graham. She worked with legendary cinematographer Christopher Doyle on 'Meeting Helen.' Rebecca trained for 6 years with Scott Williams, under direct lineage from Sanford Meisner, combining TV and film work with weekend theatre classes. On moving to LA she trained with Philip Seymour Hoffman's coach Tony Greco. Recent credits include feature 'Lost Transmissions' alongside Simon Pegg and HBO's 'Room 104'.- Actress
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Nagarajan's parents are immigrants from India. Her mother, Geetha Nagarajan, is a former developmental specialist at Western Psychiatric Institute & Clinic. Her father, Nandu Nagarajan, is a professor and academic at the Joseph M. Katz Graduate School of Business at the University of Pittsburgh. She has one brother, Arjun.
Anisha Nagarajan was raised in the Squirrel Hill neighborhood of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, before moving with her family to the suburb of Fox Chapel.She spent a year at a boarding school in India when she was 15 years old before graduating from Fox Chapel Area High School in 2002. She enrolled at New York University (NYU) after high school. She was cast in the Broadway musical Bombay Dreams as Priya during her sophomore year at NYU. She married her husband, actor Aalok Mehta, who co-starred in the musical.
Nagarajan appeared in a number of regional theater productions following Bombay Dreams, including the Hangar Theater production of Rent in Ithaca, New York and the The Wiz at the La Jolla Playhouse in San Diego, California. She is currently finishing her bachelor's degree at New York University.
In 2010, Nagarajan was cast as Madhuri, a shy call center employee in the NBC series, Outsourced. The role is her largest television credit to date. She had previously appeared in a guest role on the ABC television series, Ugly Betty.- Actress
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Sunita Mani is an actress, dancer, and comedian most commonly recognized for her gyrations in the viral music video "Turn Down for What" (dir. The Daniels) and as part of the Cocoon Central Dance Team. She also appears in "Don't Think Twice" as Amy, "Mr. Robot" as Trenton, and in the Netflix original series, G.L.O.W as Arthie. Sunita has also guest starred on network television shows including "Broad City" on Comedy Central, Search Party on TBS, and The Good Place on NBC. She married musician Kenny Warren on May 25, 2018.- Actress
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Annet Mahendru is an Afghan-American actress of Indian-Russian origin. She was born in Kabul to an Indian father (a journalist and professor) and a Russian mother (a businesswoman and artist). Annet spent her early years learning six languages while living in Afghanistan, Russia, and Europe. She put her curious mind to use playing competitive chess and earning a brown belt in Karate, sweeping a free sparring championship. At age 11, Annet choreographed a performance that gained her an appearance on German TV as a graceful Russian snow maiden that turns into a playful Indian dancer. Sad that her parents never signed her up for ballet classes as a little girl, she joined a local Rock 'n' Roll dance group, and later, began to study classical Indian dance, Bharatanatyam.
Annet finished high school in New York and received a Bachelor of Arts in English at St. John's University. After school, drawn by her passion for acting, she took classes at the HB studio, performed in plays, and Indie films. But it was in the course of pursuing a Master's degree in Global Affairs at NYU that Annet reached a crossroad in her life. She decided to drop out of NYU and escaped to the West Coast in search for yet another degree that would enable her to affect the kind of change she really wished for. This one was in Storytelling. Always being a big fan of Improvisation, she began studies at the Groundlings School and took on several comedy projects thereafter. Annet has also studied at the Imagined Life in Hollywood because she finds trans-formative experience and expression of the empathetic imagination to be the foundation of her work.
Everything, from growing up among a big Indian family on a healthy diet of Bollywood films to experiencing St. Petersburg's famous ballet, art and theatre scene, prepared Annet for her life as an ambassador of change through storytelling. Becoming an actress synthesized her many curiosities with her passion and mission.
Annet is best known for her starring role in the 2013 TV series The Americans, where she plays the role "Nina," the beautiful and mysterious spy opposite FBI Agent Stan Beeman (Noah Emmerich). "Annet Mahendru has been a revelation as Nina, bringing the character to life with a rich and subtle depth that keeps you guessing as to what's really percolating under the surface," said Executive Producers Joe Weisberg and Joel Fields. Other credits include 2 Broke Girls, Mike & Molly, Big Time Rush, The Blacklist, The X Files and feature films Escape From Tomorrow and Love Gloria.- Actress
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After her debut film Mississippi Masala (1991) became an art house hit, Sarita Choudhury was determined not to "go Hollywood," focusing her acting energies on independent film instead.
Raised in Jamaica, Mexico, and Italy, the half-Indian, half-English Choudhury studied economics at Queens University in Ontario before switching to acting. She casually auditioned for Mississippi Masala (1991) and wound up cast as the lead opposite Denzel Washington in the singular interracial romance between a Southern African American man and a transplanted Indian woman. Despite the film's surprise success, Choudhury stuck to her non-Hollywood roots, putting her exotic looks and talent to versatile use as a Pakistani country-western singer in Wild West (1992), a Chilean maid who is raped in Bille August's adaptation of The House of the Spirits (1993), and a lesbian mother in Fresh Kill (1994).
Choudhury worked with Mississippi Masala (1991) director Mira Nair again in The Perez Family (1995) and played the cuckolded queen Tara in Nair's frankly-sensual feminist parable Kama Sutra: A Tale of Love (1996).
By the late 1990s, Choudhury added a touch of Hollywood to her repertoire with supporting roles in the glossy Alfred Hitchcock remake, A Perfect Murder (1998) and the John Cassavetes retread Gloria (1999).- Actress
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Tiya Sircar starred as "Roonie Schuman" in the ABC comedy series "Alex, Inc." which premiered in 2018. Based on the podcast StartUp, Sircar played the wife to Zach Braff's character, "Alex Schuman". Sircar is also on the NBC hit comedy "The Good Place," for which Entertainment Weekly dubbed her the series 'Scene Stealer." She appeared on the comedy opposite Kristen Bell and Ted Danson in multiple shifting roles, from an altruistic human rights lawyer to a power-hungry demon. She also starred opposite Kate Beckinsale in the Paramount+ series, Guilty Party. In the wake of recent guest starring roles on such series as Netflix's "Master of None" and Fox's "The Mindy Project," Sircar has also exercised her comedic and dramatic acting chops on "The Witches of East End," "The Vampire Diaries," "The Crazy Ones," "Hannah Montana" and "The Suite Life on Deck."
Having also established herself as a capable voiceover actress, Sircar lends her pipes as Sabine Wren, a graffiti artist and explosives expert, on the Disney/Lucas Film animated series "Star Wars Rebels" on the Disney Channel and the short-form interstitial series "Star Wars: Forces of Destiny," opposite Daisy Ridley, Felicity Jones and Lupita Nyong'o. Among other voiceover credits is The Simpsons, American Dad, Robot Chicken, and the Netflix/Dreamworks series "Spirit Riding Free."
Film audiences have come to know Sircar equally well, most recently in Netflix's Good Sam and in the independent feature comedy, Miss India America. Along with voiceover work on the animated studio film Walking with Dinosaurs 3D, she starred in the 20th Century Fox comedy feature The Internship opposite Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson, in a starring role in the foreign drama The Domino Effect, with Zac Efron in New Line's 17 Again, and in the Paramount family comedy Hotel for Dogs.
A native of Arlington, Texas, Sircar was raised in a family of academics. Her parents, originally from Calcutta (Kolkata), India, are both college professors who instilled a love of the arts in her at a very early age. Sircar began dancing at age three, first Indian classical and folk dance, then ballet, jazz, lyrical and modern. After taking her first acting class at age seven, she realized her true calling. Sircar attended the University of Texas at Austin, receiving two bachelor's degrees: the first in Business/Marketing, and another in Theater & Dance. Following graduation, she moved to Los Angeles to pursue her professional career.- Actress
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The daughter of a mechanical engineer and housewife, Sujata became involved in the performing arts at a very young age. She began with dance (ballet, jazz, modern, hip hop, and East Indian folk and classical dance) and then became equally interested in acting, singing and musical theater. She continued to study and perform in school and community productions before heading west to pursue a professional acting career in Hollywood.- Actress
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Monica Dogra was born on 25 October 1982 in Baltimore, Maryland, U.S. She is an actress and composer, known for Mumbai Diaries (2010), The Married Woman (2021) and David (2013).- Music Artist
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Norah Jones first emerged on the world stage with the 2002 release of Come Away With Me, her self-described "moody little record" that introduced a singular new voice and grew into a global phenomenon, sweeping the 2003 GRAMMY Awards including Album of the Year, Record of the Year, Song of the Year, and Best New Artist. Since then, Jones has become a nine-time GRAMMY-winner, sold more than 52 million albums, and her songs have been streamed ten billion times worldwide. She has released a series of critically acclaimed and commercially successful solo albums-Feels Like Home (2004), Not Too Late (2007), The Fall (2009), Little Broken Hearts (2012), Day Breaks (2016), Pick Me Up Off The Floor (2020), the live album 'Til We Meet Again (2021), her holiday album I Dream Of Christmas (2021), and Visions (2024)-as well as albums with her collective bands The Little Willies, El Madmo, and Puss N Boots featuring Sasha Dobson and Catherine Popper. The 2010 compilation ...Featuring Norah Jones showcased her incredible versatility by collecting her collaborations with artists as diverse as Willie Nelson, Foo Fighters, Outkast, and Herbie Hancock. In 2022, Jones launched her podcast Norah Jones Is Playing Along which features candid conversations and impromptu musical collaborations with some of her favorite musicians.- Anchal Joseph is an Indian born model and actress that took the industry by storm when she started at 17 years. During the past several years, Anchal has been featured in the pages of Vogue Paris, Zoom Magazine, and gained national attention when she appeared on America's Next Top Model (ANTM)Cycle 7.Viewers immediately agreed with Tyra Banks, famed photographer Nigel Barker, and other judges J Alexander and Twiggy, when they made comments referring to her as one of the most beautiful contestants from any cycle of the show. Anchal was instantly voted the fan favorite to win, beating the contestant in second place by a 2 to 1 ratio at the beginning of the season. She was voted "Cover Girl of the Week" for the first two weeks of the cycle and won numerous fan polls on The CW Lounge; including polls which named her the most beautiful contestant, the sexiest contestant, and the contestant with the best body, among others. Appearing on ANTM opened doors for new opportunities and Anchal was featured in Night Weekly Magazine, Artemis Allure Models Magazine, I AM CERA show / FUNKSHION Fashion week, Lila Nikole Show / Rock Fashion Week, Red Dress Fashion Show/ Funkshion Fashion Week, Co-Host with SFL Live, New York Fashion Week, Gossip Girl, and appearance in several Films.
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Rahul Kohli was born on 13th November 1985 in London. Rahul began acting in school plays at an early age, but it wasn't until he was 17 that drama became his main focus. After leaving college having studied Film, Rahul applied for drama schools with the hope to begin his career as a performer. Having been accepted at school, Rahul began to learn his trade on stage, performing in various productions from William Shakespeare's Henry V to Eduardo De Filippo's Sabato, domenica e lunedi. After leaving the theatre and acquiring an agent, Rahul has been working on British television ever since, performing in well known British dramas such as Eastenders and Holby City, to working on worldwide advertising campaigns for Heineken and Sony. While screen acting has always been his primary focus, Rahul has still enjoyed success on stage in his professional career, with a stint at The National Theatre working with acclaimed director Howard Davies.- Actress
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Aparna Nancherla was born on 22 August 1982 in Washington, District of Columbia, USA. She is an actress and writer, known for A Simple Favor (2018), Crashing (2017) and The Drop (2022).- Actress
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Aarti Mann was born in Connecticut, USA. She is an actress and director, known for The Recruit (2022), Never Have I Ever (2020) and The Big Bang Theory (2007). She is married to Purvesh Mankad. They have one child.- Actress
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Rachna Khatau was born in London, England, UK. She is an actress and producer, known for Baby Daddy (2012), The Big Bang Theory (2007) and Downward Dog (2017).- Actress
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Liza Koshy is a multi-faceted talent - actor, producer, entertainer - who has trailblazed a path from digital creator to one of the Hollywood's brightest young stars. Koshy will next be seen in Susanna Fogel's upcoming psychological thriller, Cat Person, in which she appears alongside Nicholas Braun and Emilia Jones. She also wrapped production on the Netflix original film Players, opposite Gina Rodriguez, and Damon Wayans Jr. Most recently, Liza has joined Kathy Bates, Nicole Kidman, Joey King and Zac Efron in the upcoming romantic comedy film, Family Affair, directed by Richard LaGravenese, and is set to premiere on Netflix on November 17, 2023. Koshy was most recently announced as the voice of female autobot, Arcee, in the international release of Transformers: Rise of the Beasts premiering in theatres on June 9, 2023.
In 2022, taking the social media dance craze to a new level, NBC joined forces with Liza Koshy, Shakira and Nick Jonas on the exciting dance-challenge series "Dancing with Myself." Koshy was most recently seen in the Netflix film My Little Pony: A New Generation as the voice of "Pip," also starring James Marsden, Vanessa Hudgens, and Sofia Carson. Koshy also starred opposite Sabrina Carpenter in the Netflix Original film Work It from executive producer Alicia Keys and Leslie Morgenstein (Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants). She is the co-creator, executive producer, and star of "Liza on Demand." In its second season, the premiere episode was the most-watched YouTube Originals debut episode in its first week on the streaming network to date. She directed an episode in the series' second season, which was nominated for two Streamy Awards: Show of the Year and Scripted Series. Koshy again directed an episode in the third and final season, which premiered in October 2021.
In December of 2021 and December of 2022, Koshy co-hosted "Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve with Ryan Seacrest," which was the highest rated network New Year's Eve special. It exceeded its 2021 ratings and numbers in its 2022 broadcast. In a new version of the Food Network's long-running series "Chopped," Koshy served as a host of the competition series, "Chopped Next Gen." The series, which is currently streaming on Discovery+, challenges a new guard of rising, Generation Z chefs. She has also hosted two seasons of the Nickelodeon "Double Dare" revival alongside Marc Sommers. In its second season the show was nominated for Outstanding Game Show at the 47th Daytime Emmy Awards. In 2018 and 2019, Koshy served as Vogue official Met Gala red carpet correspondent.
In March 2020, Koshy appeared in the YouTube Original special, "Creators for Change with Michelle Obama: Girl's Education." For the special, which won a Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Daytime Non-Fiction Special, she joined Mrs. Obama, Julia Roberts, Lana Condor, Veronica Ngo, and Jenna Bush Hager, on a trip to Vietnam. During their visit, the group met with girls benefiting from an education program of Room to Read, a nonprofit working with the Girls Opportunity Alliance to support adolescent girls' education in Vietnam. Koshy also served as a co-chair of the Michelle Obama founded non-profit "When We All Vote," alongside Kerry Washington, Selena Gomez, and Tracee Ellis Ross.
Liza has also been featured on Forbes' 30 Under 30 Hollywood & Entertainment List, TIME Magazine's Inaugural TIME 100 Next List, TIME's 25 Most Influential People on the Internet and Teen Vogue's Young Hollywood Class of 2020. Liza was most recently featured on the March 2022 Women's Health Magazine cover.- Actress
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Lilly Singh is a successful, famous Canadian YouTuber, known as Superwoman. She is also known for her role in the movie "Dr. Cabbie" (2014) and the YouTube series "Giving Back Glam" (2014) ; "The Tube's Hautest" (2014) and "Lana Steele : Make Up Spy" (2015). She is also known for her rapping skills and has a few songs : #LEH feat. Humble The Poet (2014); IVIVI feat. Humble The Poet (2015) and she is featured in Jassi Sidhu's song "Hipshaker" (2013).- Actress
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Winning the title of Miss India USA was the start to a global acting career for American actress Pooja Kumar. Today Pooja has acted in major Hollywood films, including Man on a Ledge (2012), and the IFC film, Bollywood Hero (2009) where she starred opposite SNL star, Chris Kattan. She had in a starring role in iconic Indian actor and filmmaker Kamal Haasan's blockbuster film Vishwaroopam (2013). The most famous actor in India, Amitabh Bachchan selected Pooja as the most budding new star in a contest where he looked at over 60,000 contestants who were fighting for that recognition. Amitabh Bachchan knew that Pooja would eventually get the major Bollywood role that she has now received in Kamal Haasan's film. Pooja's popularity has grown over time. She has been invited to hundreds of highly prominent events as a celebrity guest, and was featured on many magazine covers. She served as a host for India's famous music channel, Channel V, but decided to leave to continue honing her acting skills.
As a student of the American Academy of Dramatic Arts, Pooja learned to be a highly profound actress who has received appreciation for her diverse talents and love for acting. For her role in the indie film, Flavors (2003), Pooja received the Screen Actor Guild Award for Best Emerging Artist. Kumar has been in several American films and has also worked in Bollywood giving her insight and expertise on the different film industries. Her repertoire of work whether it be theater, film or ad campaigns all continue to grow.- Actress
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After a ten-year hiatus to get the Equal Rights Amendment ratified to the U.S. Constitution legendary Latinx artist, Kamala Lopez is back in the business with new episodes of "This is Us," "Hacks" and "Mayans MC" filmed this past season. Over her long career, the award-winning bilingual actress has starred in over thirty-five feature films and seventy+ TV shows, across all genres (comedy/drama; film/TV).
Born in New York City to a mother from Madras, India and a Venezuelan father, Lopez lived with her parents in Caracas until the age of fourteen, studying in British and American schools. While still in high school, and studying acting at Herbert Berghof Studio in Manhattan, Ms. Lopez was cast in CTW's "Sesame Street" as Mercedes, Maria's cousin, a role she portrayed for two seasons before she was accepted to Yale University where she majored in Theatre Studies and Philosophy.
After graduation, Ms. Lopez continued training with some of the world's most progressive and renowned acting teachers including: the late Sanford Meisner, (Masterclass/Director's Lab); Sylvain L'Hermitte (resident director/La Mama); Milton Katselas, (Saturday Professional Class); Jerzi Grotowski, (Objective Drama Workshop), Juan Carlos Corazza (Professional Intensive/Madrid), Gunnar Rohrbacher (Actors Comedy Studio) and Ivana Chubbuck (Coaching).
On screen, Ms. Lopez can be seen in many diverse, major motion pictures, notably: "I Heart Huckabees," directed by David O. Russell, opposite Dustin Hoffman and Mark Wahlberg as the latter's wife, Molly; starring opposite Raul Julia in "The Burning Season," directed by John Frankenheimer for HBO Pictures/ Warner Bros. (winner of several Emmy and Golden Globe Awards); as crack addicted Belinda opposite Laurence Fishburne in New Line's "Deep Cover" directed by Bill Duke (New Line); opposite Cuba Gooding Jr. as Pilar, the southern dance hall girl who wins his heart in "Lightning Jack "(Savoy); as Anna, the sexually lethal government agent in "Love and Action in Chicago" opposite Courtney Vance and Regina King; headlining Lizzie Borden's racy, irreverent "Let's Talk About Sex" episode of the international co-production "Erotique"; and her introductory feature lead as Cheech Marin's sweetheart Dolores in "Born in East L.A."
Some of the highlights of Ms. Lopez's extensive television career include: groundbreaking television like "It's Garry Shandling's Show", "Hill Street Blues" and the Amnesty International sponsored episode of "21 Jump St." (for which she won the Imagen Award); opposite Christine Lahti and Ruben Blades in "Crazy From The Heart" (winner of the Ace Award); opposite Glenn Close in Stones For Ibarra; hosting "Wired Science" with Chris Hardwicke for PBS. Recurring roles include on the hit NBC show "Medium" as attorney Kristine Romney; on Showtime's critically acclaimed series, "Resurrection Blvd." as artist Sulinda Serrano; as Lisa Vidal's sister, Connie, "The Division" as army nurse Susanna Lozada on "Tour of Duty" and as prostitute/informant Carlita the CBS series "The Handler." More than sixty episodic guest leads include "Black Jesus", "24", "Alias", "JAG," "Miami Vice" and "NYPD Blue" among many others.
Her directorial feature film debut "A Single Woman" about the life of first US Congresswoman Jeannette Rankin won the 2009 Exceptional Merit in Media Award from the National Women's Political Caucus. In 2013 her short Spanish-language film "Ese Beso" won the Jury Award at the Senorita Cinema Festival and the Audience Award at the Boyle Heights Latina Film Festival. In 2016, her follow-up feature, the documentary Equal Means Equal, won Best U.S. Documentary (Audience Award) at Michael Moore's TCF Festival and was a New York Times Critics' Pick. The film was the catalyst behind a national civil rights movement resulting in the ratification of the 28th Amendment to the United States Constitution: The Equal Rights Amendment.
Kamala has been the Keynote or Featured Speaker in venues as disparate as the Smithsonian Institution's National Portrait Gallery, the United Nations, The National Arts Club, at the YaleWomen Global Conference and Stanford Law School. Kamala has appeared as herself on multiple television, radio and cable networks including NBC, ABC, CBS, Fox, BBC, CNN, PBS, Telemundo, Univision, NPR, KPFK, WBAI, KIIS and many more.- From commercials to Disney Channel star, Aryan Simhadri has had a whirlwind career spanning over more than a decade. This energetic and outgoing kid was scouted at the age of 4 after moving to CA. As he quickly fell in love with the art, his talents were first recognized in National Commercials for "KMart" and "Toyota". From there his talent bloomed into multiple Commercials and television roles over the next few years from CBS's "Seal Team", "Teachers", "Angie Tribeca", "Gamers Guide to Pretty Much Everything", "Will & Grace" and many more. He got his break in Movies with Netflix/WWE movie "THE MAIN EVENT", for which he won his first YAA Award (Young Artist Academy) for BEST ACTOR in a Streaming Movie. Most recently he has been seen as the lead in Disney Channel's original movie, "SPIN," the first to feature a South East Asian-Indian cast as the leads and Disney+ reboot of "CHEAPER BY THE DOZEN" alongside Zach Braff and Gabrielle Union.
Continuing to work on his craft, his improv skills were finely tuned when he was cast on Disney's "Just Roll With It" where the audience chose what happened in the scenes, and the actors must -Just roll with it. He has also extended his reach into voice-over work, where you can hear him in movies like "The Spongebob Movie: Sponge On The Run". He also lends his voice to Paramount Television's "Adventures in Wonder Park" as 'Banky' and most recently, the role of 'Tiffany' in the award winning "Adventure Time" series television movie "Distant Lands" and Disney's "Mira, The Royal Detective".
He truly is an all-rounder as he forayed into BROADWAY in New York City as Walter in TREVOR-THE MUSICAL, which had a successful run and gained ubiquitous recognition and appreciation. It has been recorded for and streaming in Disney+
His passion for the work, as well as meeting his fellow cast and crew members, radiates more every day, and he shows no signs of slowing down. As an amateur magician, Aryan has a few surprises up his sleeve for 2024, as he will star in the Disney+ series of "Percy Jackson" as GROVER. - Actress
- Writer
- Producer
Rasika Mathur was born in Houston, Texas, USA. She is an actress and writer, known for Crazy, Stupid, Love. (2011), Wild 'N Out (2005) and Will & Grace (1998).- Actor
- Soundtrack
Anoop Desai was born in Raleigh, North Carolina, with family roots in Gujarat, India and South Africa. His family moved to Chapel Hill, NC where he excelled in theater, improvisation, choir, and as an All-State trumpet player. As an undergraduate at the University of North Carolina concentrating in American Studies and Political Science, Desai became somewhat of a campus celebrity for his visibility as a soloist in the a cappella singing group the Clef Hangers. After graduating with honors, he auditioned for American Idol and finished in the Top 6 of that show in 2009.
In 2011, Desai began exclusively releasing and writing pop music under the pseudonym TOTEM, so named as an homage to his short stint as a graduate student in cultural anthropology at UNC. He guest starred and sang on numerous TV talk shows and variety shows and performed in venues of all sizes, from small clubs, to Lollapalooza, to big arenas. Music he has written and/or performed has generated over 50 million streams on Spotify.
Desai began studying acting with Lisa Pelikan at HB Studios, Matt Newton at MN Studio, and Tim Phillips after moving to New York City in 2017.
In 2018, Desai was offered a role in the Broadway developmental Lab of The Secret Garden directed by Warren Carlyle. Desai was also a principal performer in Songs of Drew Gasparini at Feinstein's/54 Below. He made his Off-Broadway debut in MCC Theater's 2019 world premiere musical The Wrong Man, directed by Thomas Kail. As a member of the ensemble, he was the winner of the 2021 Chita Rivera Award.
Desai's first on-screen role was in the 2020 pilot of the Apple TV+ series Little Voice created by Sara Bereilles. He also had a guest starring role in the Showtime series Billions. In 2021, he played a recurring role opposite Natasha Lyonne in the Netflix dark comedy, Russian Doll and appeared in a guest starring role in the hit CBS series, Evil. In 2022 and 2023, Desai played a major recurring role, 'Djinn' in season 4 and 5 of the FX comedy series, What We Do In The Shadows, where many of his scenes included improvisation. Desai was praised as "a standout" for his role as Raj in the Hulu limited series Under the Bridge (2024) along with Lily Gladstone, Riley Keough, and Archie Panjabi.
Desai made his feature film debut in a supporting role in The Adults (2023) opposite Michael Cera. In 2024, Desai filmed a supporting role in the A24 film Babygirl, starring Nicole Kidman.
Anoop was married in 2019 to Anna Desai. They live in Brooklyn, New York.- Producer
- Actor
- Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Uday Raj Chopra was born on January 05, 1973, in Bombay (present-day Mumbai) to filmmaker Yash Chopra & his wife Pamela Chopra. He is Yash & Pamela's younger son, his elder brother being film producer Aditya Chopra. He is an Indian film actor, director, producer, and screenwriter. Chopra started his film career by assisting his father Yash in the films Lamhe (1991), Parampara (1993), Darr (1993), and Dil To Pagal Hai (1997).
He also assisted his elder brother Aditya in his debut film, Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge aka DDLJ (1995), which became one of the largest grossers in the year of its release.
Chopra made a successful debut as an actor, under his elder brother's direction in Mohabbatein (2000), which was one of the top-grossing films of the year.
He also played the lead in Mere Yaar Ki Shaadi Hai (2002) and a cameo in Mujhse Dosti Karoge (2002). He has acted in films produced by other banners as well, like Supari (2003) and Charas (2004).
Chopra won the nation over for his role as Ali Akbar Fateh Khan in Dhoom (2004), which was one of the highest grossing Hindi films of the year.
He also played the lead character with Neal 'N' Nikki (2005). After the super success of Dhoom, its sequel Dhoom 2 (2006) also had a stellar performance by the youngest scion of the Chopra family. Chopra also played the lead role in Pyaar Impossible (2010) which was also written and produced by him for Yash Raj Films. He also starred in Dhoom 3 alongside Aamir Khan and Abhishek Bachchan in 2013. He quit acting in 2014 to focus on film production & direction.- Actress
- Producer
- Writer
Mouzam Makkar was born in Kerala, India. She is an actress and producer, known for The Fix (2019), The Exorcist (2016) and The Vampire Diaries (2009).- Actress
- Additional Crew
- Sound Department
Throughout her career, Devika Parikh has distinguished herself with memorable roles in iconic series and feature films in both comedy and drama. Parikh can next be seen on January 11 in the highly anticipated new OWN series "Kings of Napa," where she stars as "Melanie Pierce," who brings the drama to the King family. Some of her recent roles include playing "Nancy Klein," Meredith's job saving attorney on "Grey's Anatomy," and supporting role in the feature film Aquaman.
Raised in Gaithersburg, Maryland to what she lovingly terms a "Blindian," family with an East Indian father from Mumbai, India and an African-American mother from Virginia, Parikh's mixed cultural heritage has always been a source of pride. Her first name in Sanskrit means "little goddess," and her heritage has played a part in her diverse portrayals of black, East Indian, and mixed ethnicity characters throughout her career.
Prior to becoming an actor, Parikh pursued journalism, graduating with a degree in broadcast journalism from Syracuse University. After a soul-searching trip to the Blue Ridge Mountains in Virginia, she decided to leave journalism to pursue her lifelong passion, and began training, appearing in Los Angeles theater productions, and performing comedy.
Her early career started with bit comedy roles on "In Living Color," "Martin," and "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air." Her first big recurring role came when she landed the role of "Sheri" on Showtime's series "Resurrection Blvd" which was followed by the role of "Maureen Kingsley" on the iconic Fox smash hit series "24." Up next she booked the recurring role of "Bonnie" on the critically hailed NBC hit drama "The West Wing" which lasted for five seasons. Additional credits include projects such as "Shameless," "No Good Nick," "Prime Suspect" and "Criminal Minds," to name a very few.
Parikh has also distinguished herself as a highly in-demand voice-over actress, including providing voice work for the animated films, "Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs," "Madagascar," "Spiderman: Into the Spider-Verse," and also voicing characters in numerous major video games, TV shows and movies.- Kavita Patil was born in Brooklyn, New York, USA. She is known for Whiplash (2014), Lost (2004) and The Unit (2006).