Mangalurean Rachel Kamath makes a mark in Hollywood


By Dinesh Correa, Pernal
Daijiworld Media Network

Melbourne / Los Angeles, Oct 12: A rising star to watch out for in tinseltown is Rachel Kamath. Born in Mangalore, brought up in Dubai and Australia, Rachel always had a passion for the performing arts since an early age.

“I was involved as a dancer in various shows when I was a child and I loved it”, she claims.

As a child, Rachel Kamath performed in various dance shows and being on stage was comfortable for her from very early age.

Apart from dancing, she was also fascinated with the art of stage acting but did not pursue it as more than a hobby until she completed her university graduation degree. “I didn’t think about it seriously as a career since I was excelling academically and was greatly curious about all things scientific and math-related.”

Fluent speaker of a number of languages like Hindi, Konkani, French and Italian, Rachel Kamath, a civil engineering graduate got into the passion of stage art and celluloid industry after exploring her enthusiasm in this form of art. “I’m glad I got the university experience, which made me be the person who goes after what she wants.” While at university, Rachel travelled to different countries as part of her course. She spent some time in France and Italy, and credits those experiences for making her more confident and adaptable to changes in her life. “I’ve travelled extensively all my life so the love for traveling and exploring new places was a part of me.” However, after completing her degree in civil engineering and French studies, Rachel felt that her calling was someplace else. She left Melbourne in 2014 and travelled to Los Angeles in order to pursue her dreams of being on the big screen. “There wasn’t satisfaction in engineering for me and my true passion has always been acting. So I took the plunge and decided to follow my dreams and go for it 100%.”










Relocating to Los Angeles all by herself, she got an opportunity to enroll herself in the prestigious Stella Adler Academy of Acting and Theater, whose alumni include acting legends such as Marlon Brando and Robert DeNiro. “Moving to Los Angeles by myself was scary and challenging yet I wanted to get out of my comfort zone and do acting full time” says she. Rachel has since worked in a number of plays, such as The Destiny of Me directed by Oscar winner Milton Justice.

“It was a challenging role for me but I learnt so much from that experience. Also being trained and mentored by Milton Justice was an honor.”

She recently completed her stint as the lead character, Priscilla, in Homebody/Kabul, a play by Tony Kushner. The play revolved around a daughter’s search for her mother in the harsh terrains of Kabul, Afghanistan. “It was about connection and healing and my favourite play so far”, exclaims Rachel.

“The journey so far has been exciting and rewarding. I get to work on different characters and explore new stories, which is exhilarating for an artist.”

Rachel started auditioning while still at university in Melbourne. Her attempts landed her Coles and Medibank commercials, screened on television in Australia. “Commercials are so much fun to do, it’s all about energy”, Rachel explains.

Her onscreen experience also includes short films, like Magnetism, which was screened at the Made in Melbourne Film Festival and Seoul International Agape Film Festival. She played an Indian waitress working at a café who dreams of doing other things like theater, kind of like her real-life persona. The film also starred Mahesh Jadu, who was last seen in the Netflix series ‘Marco Polo’. Her other short film called Best Before was shown at the Citizen Jane Film Festival in the US and the Loch Ness Film Festival in Scotland. Rachel says: “Playing a nurse in this film was nice, I seem to play nurses a lot. I’m like an expert in that field.”

Australian audiences would also have seen her on TV in the popular comedy show, Utopia, about mundane office politics and relationships. She recently worked with Mena Suvari, known for American Beauty for the LA Greek Film Festival, where she was part of the performing troupe for the closing ceremony.

In addition to that, she has a new film coming out later this year, Frenchman’s Flat, which highlights the plight of forgotten war heroes from WWII. “Frenchman’s Flat highlights a very important subject about the mistreatment of soldiers and the aftereffects of that.” Rachel is excited as she looks forward to her short film that she wrote and starred in, which will be submitted to major film festivals around the world. The film revolves around a girl stuck between two choices that could change her life. “I am fascinated by themes of emotional connection in contemporary society and topics such as morals versus ethics in our everyday lives.”

She has lived in USA for more than two years now. “Being in LA and doing what I love has made me really appreciate the opportunities I have. Working hard on the craft and being focused is the way to go forward.” The city is always buzzing with creative people at work and there are all sorts of material being made. Moreover the recent push for diversity in casting works in Rachel’s favor as she stands out in the crowd thanks to her ethnicity. “Having a more ethnically diverse cast in films and on TV is the current trend in the industry.”

The success of Rachel’s journey so far motivates her to continue her exploration of this creative path. “For me, it’s all about telling a story and moving the audience to experience and reflect on an idea - and I’m so grateful to have the privilege to do that.”

  

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Comment on this article

  • Rony Fernandes LIC, Moodbidri

    Thu, Mar 02 2017

    All the very best Rachel.....good luck ....

    Reply Report Abuse Agree

  • Lawrence Correa, Pernal/Dubai

    Thu, Oct 13 2016

    Congratulations dear Rachel. You made your parents and all of us proud. Keep going, keep it up! we look forward to watch your plays. Also try in Bollywood. Wishing you all the best for your future ventures. Cheers!

    Reply Report Abuse Agree [1]

  • Don, Mangalore

    Thu, Oct 13 2016

    Wishing you nothing but the best. May God Bless.

    Reply Report Abuse Agree

  • Valerian Dsouza, Belman

    Wed, Oct 12 2016

    Congrats Rachel. And all the very best for your future endeavors. May God bless you.

    Reply Report Abuse Agree [1]

  • Evans Christopher Sumitra, UDUPI/ NEW YORK, USA.

    Wed, Oct 12 2016

    All the very best and good luck to dear Rachel Kamath. Your wish to make it to Hollywood has been fulfilled. God bless you.

    Reply Report Abuse Agree [3]

  • Lawrence, USA

    Wed, Oct 12 2016

    USA is the land of opportunities. It doesn't matter where you come from, what was your background and how you look like, if you have a determination you can live your dream in this country. You may win an Oscar someday. All the best Rachel.

    Reply Report Abuse Agree [4]

  • vincy lobo, pernal/dubai

    Wed, Oct 12 2016

    Dear Rach...good luck.we all proud of you.keep continue&shine always.May Lord bless you.

    Reply Report Abuse Agree [3]

  • Raphael Pernal, Pernal/Muscat

    Wed, Oct 12 2016

    Congrats Rachel Kamath and All the Best.

    Reply Report Abuse Agree [2]

  • Francis Machado , Shirva/Orlem-Malad

    Wed, Oct 12 2016

    Congrats Rachel.All the Best.
    2nd Person from in Film Industry from Pernal.
    1st is Mr.Lawrence Dsouza (Producer)
    of Erbet.

    Reply Report Abuse Agree [3]

  • wilson dsouza, shirva

    Wed, Oct 12 2016

    Good luck dear Rachel..We are all proud of you

    Reply Report Abuse Agree [6]

  • wilfy Pinto, Pernal/ Dubai

    Wed, Oct 12 2016

    Good luck Rachel..We are all proud of you. May God Bless you.

    Reply Report Abuse Agree [8]

  • Veeresh V Moras, Madanthyar/Shimoga

    Wed, Oct 12 2016

    Congratulations Rachel. Very proud of you... Keep going... Wishing you all the best. May all your dreams come true...

    Reply Report Abuse Agree [6]

  • Veena D'Sa, SHIRVA/DUBAI

    Wed, Oct 12 2016

    All the best . Proud of you

    Reply Report Abuse Agree [8]

  • Deepak Correa, Pernal

    Wed, Oct 12 2016

    Good luck and All the best

    Reply Report Abuse Agree [12]

  • Herald, Udupi

    Wed, Oct 12 2016

    Congratulations Ms Kamath...we are proud of you...

    Reply Report Abuse Agree [9]

  • Dony Correa, Pernal / Dubai

    Wed, Oct 12 2016

    Well done Rachel. You will be an inspiration for many budding talents. We are proud of you - Wishing you best of luck.

    Best Wishes, Dony & Asha Correa

    Reply Report Abuse Agree [13]

  • RSRB, Kundapura / Singapore

    Wed, Oct 12 2016

    Congrats Ms. KAMATH
    We pray for you to reach better heights..

    All KAMATHs are indeed PERFORMERS..

    Reply Report Abuse Agree [7]

  • Dennis Correa, Pernal/Abu Dhabi

    Wed, Oct 12 2016

    Congrats Rachel. we all proud of you. Good going, keep it up. All d best & wishes for your future projects.

    Reply Report Abuse Agree [16]

  • Ashok Dalmeida, Pernal, Qatar

    Wed, Oct 12 2016

    Best Wishes Rachel. We are proud of you.

    Reply Report Abuse Agree [14]

  • Flavian, Mangaluru/Kuwait

    Wed, Oct 12 2016

    Jossey,

    No doubt, Mangalorean are well placed all over the world and bring good name to our home town - Kudla. (Tulunadu)

    Reply Report Abuse Agree [18]

  • HENRY MISQUITH, Bahrain

    Wed, Oct 12 2016

    Hollywood or Bollywood..
    Good luck to you.

    Reply Report Abuse Agree [17]

  • Elwyn Goveas, Valencia

    Wed, Oct 12 2016

    Success and intelligence has no direct or indirect relationship.Not every intelligent person are succeed, and not every successful people are intelligent.

    Reply Report Abuse Agree [15]

  • Rosh Pinto, Balmatta/Bangkok

    Wed, Oct 12 2016

    Good going Rach!!! waiting for debut on Bollywood.. Best wishes

    Reply Report Abuse Agree [22]

  • Jossey Saldanha, Mumbai

    Wed, Oct 12 2016

    Mangaluru is indeed Smart ...

    Reply Report Abuse Agree [35]


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Title: Mangalurean Rachel Kamath makes a mark in Hollywood



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