Aysha Kala (born 1990/1991) is an English actress and theatre maker. On television, she is known for her roles in the Channel 4 series '' Shameless'' (2011) and '' Indian Summers'' (2015–2016). She was named a 2015 BAFTA Breakthrough Brit.

Early life

Kala grew up in Snaresbrook, East London. Her father is Gujarati Muslim. Kala attended Chigwell School. She graduated from the Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama in 2013.

Career

Kala made her television debut in 2011 when she joined the cast of '' Shameless'' on Channel 4 for its eighth series as Sita Desai. She then made her professional stage debut in 2012 with roles in the

Royal Shakespeare Company The Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) is a major British theatre company, based in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, England. The company employs over 1,000 staff and produces around 20 productions a year. The RSC plays regularly in London, St ...

production of '' Much Ado About Nothing'' in Stratford-upon-Avon, for which she received an Ian Charleson Award nomination, and ''Khadija is 18'' at the Finborough Theatre, for which she was nominated for an Off West End Award. Upon graduating from drama school in 2013, Kala made her feature film debut in the comedy '' Jadoo''. She also appeared in '' Farragut North'' at Southwark Playhouse and ''Djinns Of Eidgah'' at the Royal Court Theatre. In 2015 and 2016, Kala had a main role as Sooni Dalal in the Channel 4 drama '' Indian Summers''. In the years following, Kala did more theatre, including ''PunkPlay'' at Southwark Playhouse in 2016, ''Obsession'' at the Barbican Theatre in 2017, '' Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike'' at the Theatre Royal, Bath in 2019, and ''The Welkin'' at the National Theatre in 2020. Kala returned to television in 2021 with guest appearances in the BBC series '' Call the Midwife'' and the Netflix series '' Master of None''. This was followed in 2022 by recurring roles in '' Man vs. Bee'', also on Netflix, and the Channel 4 thriller ''

The Undeclared War ''The Undeclared War'' is a British near-future thriller television mini-series, aired from 30 June 2022 on Channel 4. The series is written by Peter Kosminsky. Plot The series follows two main characters, Saara Parvin in the UK and Vadim Tr ...

''. Kala returned to the National Theatre in 2023 when she originated the role of Jessica Levy in ''

The Motive and the Cue ''The Motive and the Cue'' is a play written by Jack Thorne. The production, directed by Sam Mendes, premiered on 21 April 2023 at the National Theatre in London. The play revolves around the history behind the 1964 Broadway modern-dress produc ...

'', directed by

Sam Mendes Sir Samuel Alexander Mendes (born 1 August 1965) is a British film and stage director, producer, and screenwriter. In 2000, Mendes was appointed a CBE for his services to drama, and he was Knight Bachelor, knighted in the 2020 New Year Honour ...

, and took over the role of Vimala in ''

The Father and the Assassin ''The Father and the Assassin'' is a play written by Anupama Chandrasekhar. It tells the story of Nathuram Godse, a follower of Gandhi who would go on to shoot him. The play premiered on 12 May 2022 at the National Theatre in London, directed b ...

''. She has upcoming roles in the Apple TV+ series '' Criminal Record'' and the Paramount+ series ''

The Doll Factory Elizabeth Sarah Macneal (born 16 October 1988) is a British writer, author of the award-winning book ''The Doll Factory'', described as a "lush Victorian fiction". Life Elizabeth was born in Edinburgh on 16 October 1988 and is the oldest of four ...

''.

Filmography

Film

Television

Stage

Audio

Awards and nominations

References

External links

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Aysha Kala
at Curtis Brown {{DEFAULTSORT:Kala, Aysha Living people 1990s births 21st-century English actresses Alumni of the Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama British actresses of Asian descent English people of Gujarati descent People educated at Chigwell School Actors from the London Borough of Redbridge Actors from the London Borough of Waltham Forest Actresses from London