Advanced Television and Film

Graduation Year: 2008

Two Leading Acting Roles a Year After Graduation

An aspiring director with no acting experience, I was lucky to be cast as the female lead in two major films released in 2009 and I’m currently working as an actor on a third film.

My performances in The Pool which opened in Canadian theatres last April, and Gulaal which was released in India a couple of weeks before that, were very well-received.

Working on The Pool with a blended American and Indian crew was a new and exciting experience for me. Actors and directors from all over the world are collaborating on movies with greater frequency. I know I would love to be part of international cinema and not limit myself solely to Bollywood films.

I came to acting almost by default. I had gone to back to Delhi (where I grew up) as Director Anurag Kashyap’s assistant on Gulaal. He convinced to me to audition for the role of the murderous seductress in the film. I believe that all this acting experience will make me a better director, which has always been my ultimate goal.

When I was 17 years old I knew I wanted to show my experiences to the world. Since then, all my thoughts are in 'shots'. Once I got to Sheridan, I started taking my dream seriously.

Sheridan’s program focused on the practical aspects of filmmaking. I will never forget how challenging it was to make a film about something I had trouble relating to – in my case, Canadian comedy. Although, being from India, I struggled with the Canadian humour in the film, I had a lot of fun directing it.

I am currently working on a feature length script which I plan to direct. Having completed writing a couple of short scripts, I am now looking for money to turn them into films. For me, directing still comes before acting.