British actor Kiran Rai talks to BizAsia about his imminent Bollywood debut

Nottinghamshire based actor Kiran Rai has landed a major role in an upcoming Bollywood film called ‘Marriage Online’, directed by SK Film Productions which also stars Rajpal Yadav and Kunal Khemu.

British YouTuber Saj Vlogs is the backing force of Rai heading to Mumbai and pursuing his dreams while mentoring him to succeed and gave him the funding to finance his trips. Saj explained, “I wanted Kiran to succeed reason and that’s why I gave him the money to pursue his dreams. We all spend money on silly things but the money I gave to him was worth every penny.”

The film goes on the floors in November. Its shoot schedule will run over a period of two months.

In an exclusive interview on BizAsiaLive.com, we caught up with Rai about conquering Bollywood.

I have never made a single penny because for the past 8 years I have been offering my services for free since I was so passionate about building up my CV…

As a British actor, you’ll be stepping into Bollywood with ‘Marriage Online’, how did this opportunity come about?
I went to India but didn’t have the money since working as a actor, the money is very tight but asked my friend Saj to sponsor me to travel to India and my idea was to bang on all the doors until someone took me on. I stayed out in India everyday in Mumbai and networked with lots of people and met many producers and directors along the way and eventually met Salim Khan who gave me the chance of a lifetime. It sounds like it was easy but it was a difficult time, by giving myself a 3-month time limit.

What kind of work have you done prior to taking up this project?
I have been very lucky to be able to be part of this great career and pursue the world of presenting and acting, I have successfully hosted more than 102 major events including 32 grand sports and 55 showbiz shows including performing in the West End and Broadway in New York City. The weird thing is – I have never made a single penny because for the past eight years I have been offering my services for free since I was so passionate about building up my CV. Even in this film I haven’t made a single penny but as a businessman, I am building up my profile to the height where I can earn thousands of pounds.

Tell us more about your character in ‘Marriage Online’?
My character is a very jealous and aggressive man who doesn’t appreciate his sister dating someone over the net. There’s a lot of aggression and anger in my character.

Where will the film be shot? Tell us a bit about the locations?
The film will primarily shot in Mumbai and Delhi.

Tell us about your future plans – More work in Bollywood?
No I have decided to take Saj Vlogs advice and stick to the world of arts and entertainment in UK. I am British and this is where I belong but I felt this film was right for me. I am very pleased with how its going
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