Today we’d like to introduce you to Anuka Sethi.
Hi Anuka, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I am an India-born, Dubai-raised, and New York, City-based multi-hyphenate artist. I am primarily an actor but consider writing, producing and modeling part of my hyphenates! I am a recent grad from New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts with training from Playwrights Horizons Theatre School and Stonestreet Studios. Since I grew up a Third Culture Kid, I have used my art as a way to connect with my roots and am passionate about creating work and space for South Asian artists.
I wish I had a special A-HA! moment, where I realized acting and working in entertainment, is what I wanted to do but honestly growing up I always found myself in creative spaces. Whether it was piano lessons, ballet class, choir or musical theatre club, throughout my childhood, I craved the rush of performing. This was certainly juxtaposed with my very demure, shy nature but I quickly discovered that performing provided me with an outlet to be confident and assured. It gave me this indescribable thrill and I felt the incredible effect the arts had on people. I saw how it made people think about things in a new way or just made them laugh and cry simultaneously. That, combined with the community of friends I made in the room where theatre magic happened, became so important to me, I realized that this is what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. It was no longer a hobby, it was too special.
I decided to pursue acting at college and my experience at NYU really taught me how to be a well-rounded, multi-hyphenate artist. Through the Nine Muses Lab, taught by founder Bryce Dallas Howard, I really gleaned the lesson of creating your own work, especially as a part of an underrepresented community in the entertainment world. I engaged in many different forms of art as an actor including screenwork and devised theatre. I met my closest circle of collaborators who I continue to create art with today.
Since graduating, I have been lucky enough to put my skills to work; having gotten the chance to act in several plays and short films. Most notably I have been able to take my short film “Hide & Seek” (which I co-wrote, directed and starred in) to several film festivals! Most recently, the Tasveer South Asian Film Festival where I was lucky enough to have two screenings and won the audience award for Best Documentary Short. I’ve also expanded my producing skills working with the theatre company Live & In Color.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Pursuing this career path is never a smooth road. There are undoubtedly high highs and low lows. I think there are two big challenges I have encountered as a young, emerging artist. The first is rejection. Of course, this industry comes with a lot of rejection and you learn pretty early on to build a thick skin. Although speaking frankly, rejection really sucks and sometimes it’s hard to pick yourself back up. That being said, I’ve found that reminding myself of my passion for my work and my determination to succeed always helps. Another challenge is Imposter syndrome and feelings of self-doubt. It’s really easy to look around and feel incompetent despite knowing you deserve to be there – sometimes that feeling can really stop me from pushing forward and excelling to my full potential. Having a strong support system really helps in moments like this. I am very fortunate to have a great circle of artist friends who never fail to lift me up and my family is always there to help remind me to keep going.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I am primarily an actor and have really gotten to explore that professionally in the last year. From new devised works to movement films exploring thermal cameras, I really like to dip my toes into exciting projects that really get audiences to re-evaluate the world around them. Having grown up in a city like Dubai, which is such a melting pot filled with so many cultures has undoubtedly influenced the work I create. I use my art to connect to my roots and often find myself a part of projects celebrating multicultural identities. My recent favourite projects include “Love Around The Block” which was an immersive, site-specific, one-night-only musical which celebrated the grand opening of the new Hermès flagship store in NYC and the new play “GIRLHOOD” by Ida Esmaeili where I got to work closely with artists I admire on a piece of theatre that explores important conversations amongst young girls.
This year I was also able to add model to my hyphenates as I was lucky enough to get to walk a few runway shows at the first-ever South Asian New York Fashion Week which certainly meant a lot to me as I got to have a hand in amplifying South Asian designers. Honestly, every project I have worked on is incredibly meaningful to me and I feel so lucky to have my name attached to them but I am most proud of my short film “Hide & Seek”. The film is a poetic exploration of a young girl’s struggle to find the in-between space of her multicultural identity. Getting to share that story, which is so close to my heart, with audiences who feel it represents them and celebrates being pulled to many different cultures and places geographically is really special. I’m proud that something I put my whole heart into is relatable and is able to bring like people together.
Risk taking is a topic that people have widely differing views on – we’d love to hear your thoughts.
I think risk-taking has been really pivotal in my journey – especially since I was such a shy child, even just taking a small part in the school play was a massive risk for me and it helped me discover my voice and passion. I think pushing yourself outside of your comfort zone and striving to change and challenge the norm is risk-taking and can only lead to success. I like to think about it in 2 ways: either you succeed and are great or you learn a really valuable lesson on your path to success.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.anukasethi.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/anuka.sethi/
Image Credits
Image 1: Q&A Session at TSAFF 2022 Image 2: SANYFW – Headliner Nomi Ansari: Photographer: Vijay Sudu Image 3: SANYFW – Untitle by Nikita: Photographer: Swapnil Junjare Image 4: SHE WALKS THE AIR IX – Dir. Chaesong Kim: Photographer: Carol Rosegg Image 5: SHE WALKS THE AIR IX – Dir. Chaesong Kim: Photographer: Carol Rosegg Image 6: GIRLHOOD by Ida Esmaeili – Dir. R. Lee Kratzer: Photographer: Sy Chounchaisit Image 7: Still from Hide & Seek – Dir. Anuka Sethi
