Kiran Rai has often described himself as a ‘workaholic’ within his acting/modelling/radio roles, yet the unimaginable feat of funding his latest project outside Waterloo Station (£15,000 in under four weeks) ultimately proves he is an ambitious one too.
But first of all Kiran wanted to state the importance of his hometown Nottingham, and how the city inspired Kiran to take up acting eventually leading him away from the wrong crowd and moving to the capital. “I was brought up in Nottingham from such a young age and always loved the city, yet at the time I felt my choices were limited so moving to London was the best choice I could take at the time.”
Kiran found himself constantly distracted at school, which left him to learn life lessons first hand. “I left the Television Workshop when I was eleven due to learning behaviours. I was rather hyper when I was younger, but I learned that you can't be naughty even at the age of eight in this industry, because people simply just don't have the time anymore.” This eventually led Kiran to pursue modelling for six years down in London, and the beginnings of his multifaceted career in the media.
Once settled in the Big Smoke, Kiran managed to establish himself over time within several different outlets. From his current job as a radio host on Betar Banglar FM titled ‘Secrets with Kiran Rai’, being a fashion ambassador for the clothing giant ASOS, to even hosting his own comedy chat show on Sky’s Sikh Channel. He states however that acting & writing was always the main focus. “My most rewarding project was doing a one-man show in the West End and then taking it to New York.” But then Kiran quickly then reiterates the fact that his humble beginnings are still very much intact “I have won awards, made speeches, had my own television chat shows, done radio work, and have been the face of fashion weeks, yet I still feel like a boy from Nottingham which hasn't changed. I will always be Kiran Rai who is ambitious but also very generous and extremely honest. I have had my heart broken so many times from friendships and relationships, yet from this I've realised that life is never certain.”
Kiran’s story is one of the underdog. One notable setback was that of being promised a starring role in Sri Lankan-based film Parachute, only to be turned away from the film set due to his Sinhalese not being completely up to scratch. “I don't know if I will succeed in life but what I can say is that I'm doing the best I can in life, and if that means working and making it happen for me, then let's do it.” With hindsight Kiran then tells me that the simple fact that he managed to travel to these other continents gave him a new sense of positivity and more vitally the inspiration to fund his next film outside Waterloo Station. “Going to different places is amazing, and the simple fact that I have now travelled all over the world is amazing. These chances have helped me work on numerous projects from theatre and television to radio and fashion, to eventually Hollywood and Bollywood movies.”
The £15,000 raised for his next film (based again in Sri Lanka, no less) caught the attention of several tabloids, yet to come back after defeat according to Kiran can be seen as another important life lesson. “I have understood that every man as an adult to a teenager has responsibilities and I have learned that whatever I must do, I must accept that I am an artist that has the right to do what I feel is good for me”.
It is through this success story that Kiran also wishes to focus his energy towards mentoring similar aspiring actors with distracting backgrounds, telling me that he will be “using my media connections; I want to see if I can mentor a young creative person to make it in this industry - all my time will be for them.” More specifically he tells me that he wants to help someone young within a situation that he can relate to, someone that may of shared similar struggles within education and that has dreamt of working within the same industry. “I am looking for a young girl or boy aged 10-17 with both aggression and confidence, this person may have had lost opportunities and doors slammed in their face but is ultimately unafraid of making mistakes.”
Mentoring is certainly an aspect that the West Bridgford lad cares deeply about, and passionately states that he is determined to reach out to a young creative and help them find their place within the industry. “I am always in the studio working and writing towards my next project, however I love to work with other people and help someone else’s career. If I have the power to make some else’s life better, I will always look for new people that I can mentor.”
The once “naughty” student from West Bridgford is determined to make a name for himself and helping someone else following a similar path. Going by his recent track record, we think it’s a pretty safe bet.
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