AV 1st August 2015 by Asian Business Publications Ltd

SPECIAL

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 1st August 2015

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 1st August 2015 be doing a huge photo shoot soon. I’m also looking to launch a book about my life as a young British boy. I want to tell people it doesn’t matter if you’re Asian or Indian, you don’t have to go to Bollywood. There are different options for success; you don’t have to be boxed in.

Kiran Rai

Not just the Ray Bans…

And where do you get all the energy for this? Some people have good relationships with their mothers, I didn’t. We are not the best of friends and I have always wanted to prove to her that I am worth something. Her absence makes me strive harder.

'If I don’t reach for it now then what’s the point?'

Who is your inspiration? Dev Patel- he jumped from one project to another, from ‘Skins’ to ‘Slumdog Millionaire’- the man’s a genius. Meera Syal has also done really well- she’s a good writer, honest and grounded. What is your advice to other trailblazers like yourself? You’ve got to go out and do things yourself. Do the groundwork to get to the good work. W

www.imdb.com/name/ nm6541449

Manchester Mega Mela sees 4,000 festival-goers soak up South Asia style in Platt Fields park

Sunetra Senior

To start with if you are in London, you must visit Oxford Street which is the place to shop, especially the Topshop flagship store which has three floors. Carnaby Street also has plenty of great stores, and a visit to Camden Market is a must. Many Teens often enjoy street art, areas such as East London are known for displaying an intriguing variety. There are also tours which can be booked if you are one who may prefer to be guided to be able to see some of the best. Another great day out could be ClueQuest London, ideal for teams of 3 to 5 people. It is a live escape game and its purpose is to solve the codes and puzzles to get free within a time of 60 minutes. Train your brain & see just how far you can go. Instead of just visiting the O2, why don't you can climb over it. Up at the O2 is a challenge, and is 52 meters above ground level. You get to see the surroundings of London and can choose whether you want to climb during the day, at sunset and witness a beautiful sky or

the twilight expedition during the dark and observe London with hundreds of lights twinkling. If you enjoy ice cream but want to take it to another level, Chin Chin Laboratories is the place to go located in Camden where you can get freshly prepared liquid nitrogen ice cream. For those who are more on the arty side, the number of galleries within London is almost endless, whether they are major public galleries or slightly small-

PRESENTS

er ones. The larger galleries which are worth visiting include Victoria Miro which displays the work of established and up and coming artists, the Tate Modern in a free museum which showcases modern & contemporary art, the Saatchi Gallery which hosts the work of both emerging and established artists and the Serpentine Gallery which has free entry and displays a variety

of world renowned exhibitions. Though don't forget to pay a visit to the smaller independent galleries too. Also, if you feel as if you may want to use the summer holidays to perhaps try a course in the subject you may which to study further, the are lots of different options for you to choose from. You may want to experience what it is like to be at a top university, if you do, you can apply to Oxford & Cambridge summer school, where you can choose

ASIAN ACHIEVERS

AWARDS

The people’s choice awards

Venue: Grosvenor House, Park Lane, London W1K 7TN

Sponsors

one of the ten courses available. Bowling is becoming less prominent, though other activities such as table tennis and ping pong are taking its place. Bounce London is the home of ping pong. One of the founder's of Bounce, was also a founder of all star lanes, he plans to make ping pong work as well as bowling does. If you are one who enjoys bowling, but maybe want to visit a more trendier place than usual, All Star lanes is the place to go, there are five branches to choose from and there is both food and drinks available. Air-hop is one of the first Trampoline parks in the UK, there are different areas to experience, the open jump area, the airfit classes, dodgeball, basketball slam dunk and also a foam pit if you feel like trying some aerial stunts. There are plenty of other things to visit or to be involved in, but these are just a few things to get you started.

I N A S S O C I AT I O N W I T H

“Success does not boil down to charisma”, actor/model Kiran, face in ASOS and SPLIT STAR, told us, “it’s about a deeper genuine voice. If you speak louder, show who you really are, that’s what matters”. Kiran isn’t kidding. From his recent venture, raising a cool £15,000 standing outside Waterloo Station to fund his current film ‘Parachute’, to internationally hustling in Dubai and Argentina – where he was booked by ten top modelling agencies – the professional always presents himself bravely: “At Waterloo, I didn’t pretend to be anyone else. I stood there in my Calvin Klein suit. I communicated to people- ‘look I need this money for my production”. All that glitters, as we see then, isn’t necessarily sequin-deep:

Tell us a bit about how you got to this point? Coming from an Asian background my mum and dad wanted me to be a doctor or a lawyer, but I always wanted to create my own projects. I put together a one man show in the West End, drawing from my cultural experiences, which I consequently took to New York. Nothing was given to me. I don’t have GCSEs so I’ve made sure to fight. I’ve stood outside Shoreditch theatre giving out CVs, with all these snobby posh actors giving me abuse. I’ve chased after casting directors, and snuck into events just to get that job. I always think if I don’t reach for it now, what’s the point?

Tell me about your film ‘Parachute’? Well, it was based in Sri Lanka and it’s about a guy who falls in love with a Sri-Lankan girl and her family don’t like it. I’m playing the role of a policeman. It’s a typical Asian drama, and you know, I fall out of a parachute! Tell me more about the £15,000 you managed to raise for it? I was scared, but when I want something, I will go after it. At the end of the day this is my life- it’s my career. I may have seemed like a liar, but the money wasn’t coming through the production company and investors weren’t going to give it to me. I got attention gradually because people

were talking. They saw that I was serious. One person gave me £450 after seeing me there for seven days in a row. I said loud and clear, ‘I need the money for my movie; please can you help finance me?’ What have been some of the highlights in your career? When I got to the West End, I went straight in from nothing, working with top actors with minimal experience myself. I just had a script, adrenaline and enthusiasm. Then when I got to take it to New York it was a big deal. Being made Head of Media for the world corporate games really opened doors too, especially for my modelling career.

Has your Background Played a large role in Life? It’s made me very humble. I come from a Hindustani family - my mum is an air hostess, and my dad has a business background – so there’s never been that cockiness. I have no interest in that. I just do my work and go home. I like to relax too: I go swimming, take friends to dinner, and enjoy my time. You need a balance in life or you’ll never have a life! What are your Current Projects? A cooking/fashion show called ‘On the Menu’ which has just been commissioned by Sky. I’ve also got a film coming out in October and I’m going to

Mayors dancing to the bhangra beat

Shopping at the clothes stalls

More than 4,000 people turned out to soak up the sights, sounds and spicy aromas of South Asia at Manchester’s Mega Mela that took place last weekend. The first day of the weekend event got off to a great start at Platt Fields park as the sun shone on festival-goers who were celebrating the distinctive dance, music, arts, crafts and food. Artists Imran Khan, Juggy D, Sahara and Navin Kundra enter-

tained the crowds as well as the Nepalese, Sri Lankan and Bangladeshi Association culture groups. In the Chai Serai marquee – a cafe with folklore, classical and contemporary dance and music – people were treated to performances from local school children. Food-lovers also got the chance to sample some of the mouthwatering South Asian delights at the food stalls. Pics courtesy: Joel Goodman

Asian Achievers Awards is organised every year by UK’s leading news weeklies, Asian Voice and Gujarat Samachar to honour British Asian par excellence For table booking contact us on 020 7749 4085