Interview with Kumar, who has acted in a Malayalam film.
By Raif Karerat
WASHINGTON, DC: The Las Vegas-based actor Sasha Sridevi Kumar has been honing her skills on stage since she was a child. Following in the footsteps of her father, Ganesh Kumar, who was an actor, she has since appeared in a Malayalam film, ‘Emsum Penkuttiyum’, alongside Kerala-origin actor Thampy Antony and is currently set to feature on a dramatic sitcom piloted by ABC.
In a phone interview to The American Bazaar, Kumar divulged her unique perspective on show business and growing up in the thick of it. Excerpts from the interview:
You’re an American-Malayali actor based out of Las Vegas. Could you tell me a little bit about where were you born and raised and your parents’ background?
I was born in raised in Las Vegas, Nevada, and I grew up here — it’s the only place I’ve ever really known. My parents are from south India — my dad was raised in Chennai and my mom was raised in Kerala. My dad’s probably been in the U.S. for about 30 plus years and my mom about 25 years — they’ve been in America quite a while now.
How long have you been in “the business?”
Well, I did a lot of local theatre and plays as a child and my father did a lot of acting in India when he was younger. I had seen a lot of that growing up so I was definitely inspired by him and my mother as well since she was a model — it kind of runs in the family a bit. It turned into something I really wanted to do around the time I was eighteen and going to college.
You recently landed a lead on an ABC drama. Could you tell me about that?
It’s a sitcom and it’s still in the works. The pilot is supposed to be shot in February and I can’t really say a lot about it at the moment, because you know, we all signed contracts! It’s basically a drama focused on Las Vegas, kids who are growing up here. Most of the kids on the show are in high school, ranging from 16 to 18 or so. I’m definitely really excited about that project because I was born and raised in Las Vegas, so I like to represent my hometown. Also, there isn’t a lot of South Asian representation in the American entertainment industry so that’s one thing that’s really fueled my desire to be in the industry. I think there should be more Indians involved! I’m really excited about that.
And when is the show coming out?
Well, the pilot is being shot in February and if everything goes as planned then we’d be shooting throughout the spring. They’re trying to get an autumn release.
You come from an acting pedigree — your father was also on the silver screen. Has he had an influence on your career?
He had retired by the time I was a child so I saw a lot of his older stuff. He was actually an actor when he was my age, so he started when he was maybe — 17 or 18-years-old. It was at 24 or 25 that he decided he was tired of it. A lot of his old stuff was really inspirational to me because he was really young, he left home at that age, he traveled, and he followed his dream. He was inspirational; a role model. The fact that he was doing what he wanted to do was in itself a big inspiration for me.
What has been your favorite experience on the various sets you’ve visited around the world?
My most favorite experience was a Malayalam film in London. Actually, we went to a couple of sets for that movie — London, Sri Lanka, and then of course South India. But being in London was awesome because I’ve never been [there]. And there’s such a huge Indian population over there so while we’d film there would be crowds of people and obviously I’m not super well known yet so just being on set with hundreds of people watching — I’d say that was probably the most memorable experience because it really took away all the fear and it probably made me a better actor overall. It gave me the experience that I needed for future opportunities. Sometimes it can be a nerve wracking thing in general, when you’re on set and in you’re in front of that many people. It definitely made me much more confident.
You’ve said, “Acting is an experience that has turned exciting over time.” What was starting out like?
I was definitely nervous. It was always something I wanted to do but I obviously looked up to my dad and I didn’t want to let him down, as well. On my first movie set I had never been in front of the camera. A lot of my experience growing up was stage work and that’s a totally different feel, so when I was in front of a camera on my first set it was: “What do I do?” It was definitely stressful, but over time that changed. Obviously, the more experience you gain the more comfortable you are. The minute I got comfortable and things became second nature it turned into something I enjoy and love. Now being in front of the camera feels natural. Everybody always wants to find a job that doesn’t feel like a job and I’ve got that now.
Have you done any work outside of show business?
I don’t know if this would count as “outside of show business” but I’m currently competing for Miss Nevada. The pageant is actually going to be in April and I’m trying to squeeze that in. I’ve had some awesome opportunities to do a lot of charity work locally in town and work with a lot of kids — it’s been a really unbelievable experience to get to do all of that. I’ve gotten to meet a lot of girls who have high hopes for the pageant world and the pageant world is definitely a different place. I feel comfortable in it because it kind of mirrors show business. There’s a lot of competition — a lot of catty girls — but all in all it’s been an amazing experience. With pageants you’re not just looking into beauty, you have to be intelligent and articulate and graceful — there’s so much more that comes with it. You’re not just a pretty face; you do have to train in terms of knowledge and prepare for questions about pop culture and politics. Having to do all that has definitely been an eventful experience so far. We’ll see how it goes in April!
Outside of your father, who are your influences as an actress?
It really depends. From India, I would probably say have to say Sridevi [Kapoor] because I loved Sridevi growing up. Watching her movies when I was little — she was just perfect to me. She had those big brown eyes, and she was so talented and down-to-earth. Definitely — watching her in her movies — it made me go, “I want to be like her!” My Indian name back home is Sridevi, so growing up, yeah, it definitely made me go, “I want to be like her!”
Probably in America this is a pretty cliché answer, but: Angelina Jolie, hands down. She is so talented and she is definitely a diverse actor and recently, one of my absolute favorite movies she’s done was ‘Maleficent’ and she did a phenomenal job. Even though it was all fictional she made you believe the story of the evil witch and the young girl was so real. She’s talented beyond words, so she’s definitely somebody [who] has always inspired me. She can be an evil queen, she can be a secret agent, she’s really done it all and that’s what makes a good actress at the end of the day. You should have the ability to put yourself in different situations so I definitely love it for that.
You’ve followed your dad into acting, and you’ve also followed in your mother’s footsteps as a model. Is that another passion and focus or is it a side project?
I would definitely think it would be a passion as well if I could do more work in it. I feel like with show business or entertainment a lot of these categories go hand-in-hand, whether it’s modeling, acting music — they all seem to intertwine. Once you have your foot in the door somewhere you can generally somehow make it into another field. And with modeling– I know I told you I like being in front of the camera but who doesn’t like being in the spotlight — modeling is definitely something I owe a lot to. I did a lot of modeling before I even did any acting, so I kind of started with that.
Did one lead to the other?
I wouldn’t say that, but I would say that it made me more comfortable being in front of a camera and being in front of people. Being a model, you have to get used to having people around — the photographer, and the artist, and the clothing designers, and just random people who are part of production. So, it really helped for the future work that I wanted to do because I already wasn’t so nervous about having a lot of people around or being in front of the camera. I would even say that modeling is a performance and you still have to have life within your pictures and within your pictures and the way you smile and the way your eyes kind of pop. It’s equally as important as acting and I definitely hope that with a lot of my future endeavors … more opportunities for modeling will come up.
Do you have any other upcoming projects? You mentioned Miss Nevada already, so is there anything else besides your upcoming sitcom?
Nothing’s been confirmed but in March or April there’s a Malayalam film that might be filmed in New Orleans so I might be working on that with a family friend, his name is Thampy Antony. I’ve worked with him before on a past project — it’s called ‘Emsum Penkuttiyum’ and that’s the one I was telling you about that was filming in London and Sri Lanka. That’s probably something that might be in the works but we’ll see! I definitely have a lot on my plate at the moment.
It certainly sounds like it. You don’t have a lot of time to sit still, do you?
It’s kind of difficult [straddling the line] between America and India, then there’s traveling for filming and I’m still trying to go to school and get my degree at the same time. Balancing [acting/modeling] with school and running across the country or the world is not exactly the easiest but hey, I guess I want to do it all, right?
What are you getting your degree in and where?
I’m studying at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas and I’m [majoring] in gaming management. My parents always stressed, especially with our culture, education is really important and it’s a huge thing that’s stressed upon even back home so even though I do have some work here and there my parents have always stressed the importance of education. They’re always saying, “You never know; you want something to fall back on, just in case — have something on the side.” I’m actually a senior out of the university so I’m hoping when I graduate I can focus and go full-swing with my acting and modeling careers. When you’re studying that many things in a semester it’s not like you can pick up and leave; “Oh hey, bye, I have to go film something.” That’s definitely something I’m hoping for!