English actor
Viveik Kalra ()[2] is an English actor. His breakout role came in 2019's Blinded by the Light, directed by Gurinder Chadha.[3]
Early life and education
Kalra was born in Windsor and Maidenhead,[1] Berkshire, England, to a British-born father and Indian-born mother of Punjabi Hindu descent.[4] He was raised in Windsor, where he became a fan of Indian films and American hip hop.[5][6] He was in his first year at the Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama in Cardiff in 2016 when he left after being cast in his first role.[7][8]
Career
Kalra's first job was in the 2018 ITV miniseries Next of Kin, which came after he sent a video audition. In 2019, he also starred in another ITV miniseries, Gurinder Chadha's historical drama Beecham House.[9] He was cast as Javed Khan in Blinded by the Light, about a British-Pakistani teen inspired by Bruce Springsteen in 1987, after singing "Born to Run" in the audition.[10] For his role as Javed, Kalra was nominated as Best Actor at the 2019 SIFF.[11]
He stars as Peter in the science fiction film Voyagers, along with Tye Sheridan, Fionn Whitehead, Colin Farrell and Lily-Rose Depp.[12]
In 2022, he starred as Troye Sivan's love interest in the film Three Months.[13]
In 2023, he signed on to co-star with Indian superstar Shruti Haasan in the cross-cultural romantic comedy film titled "Chennai Story," which is directed by Bafta-winning Welsh director Philip John. [14]
