LIGHTS, CAMERA, ASHVIN!

Film and Theatre actor - Ashvin Joshi

Ashvin-Kumar Joshi was born in Dar-Es-Salaam, Tanzania and moved to England in the mid 80’s to join his family in Birmingham. He pursued a money-oriented career amongst silicon chips before abandoning it to chase his dreams in the performing arena. 

ASIANGIGS.COM caught up with Ashvin recently, who was not only busy promoting the feature film “Triads, Yardies & Onion Bhajees” in which he plays a pivotal role but is also appearing on stage in a dynamic role of an artist in Tara Arts new production at Wilton Hall “A taste of mangoes”.

1 What sparked off your career change from being an IT consultant to an actor?

Since I was a kid in Tanzania, I was always fascinated by the world & magic of cinema. My earliest memories are of Clint Eastwood on a horse in one of my favourite movies “ A Fistful of Dollars” – watching movies like this in Tanzania I always dreamed of being up there on the screen. So that feeling inside of me stayed throughout my childhood to this day. But I never wanted to go down the conventional path of leaving school, then drama school. Instead I opted to go for a financial inspired career of computing where I knew that I could make a good living, save enough so that I wouldn’t have to struggle when I made the switch to acting. 

2. And you are beck on stage with another production with TARA ARTS.

Yeah “A taste for Mangoes”, it’s really cool. This is my 4th year with them. It’s a company, where as an actor I am always excited with the work they do and Jatinder Verma as a director has always put me through the mill so in terms of my craft I feel that I am always stretched. 

3. And you have had to learn to cook for the show!

Oh yes! In the show I play the character that is a hybrid of a painter and a cook, known in the play simply as the “artist” and by the end of the show I produce a cooked Mango Naan. I had to learn how to make the naan, and was trained by a fantastic Chef from the Cinnamon Club for a week in their restaurant before I got my own tandoor at Tara.

4.You went to the 2003 Cannes Film Festival, a little flavour please!

The film “TRIADS, YARDIES & ONION BHAJESS” was invited to be screened at the UK Film Centre in Cannes. I was one of the lucky ones to be flown out there to represent the movie. It was a great adventure.

5. What is your role in the movie TY&OB? 

I play the character of JAS, described as the gentleman gangster, this means that violence is the last resort for him; I’m more of a cerebral kind of character. The film is loosely based on actual events that have taken place i.e. the Heathrow robbery that happened a few years ago. The film deals with life of crime, gun culture, drugs and some aspects of religion. 

6.You did short art-house movie with Sanjeev Bhasker and Kenneth Branagh ?

The film was called “Dance of Shiva”. This was shot around 1998, it was one of my first film acting experience. The film tells the story of a group of Indian soldiers in the First World War, who are fighting for the British in France. I played a soldier – Private Velu.
The film was an experiment for the director who was moving from documentary to filmmaking.