We were lucky to catch up with Rishi Jaiswal recently and have shared our conversation below.
Rishi, so good to have you with us today. We’ve always been impressed with folks who have a very clear sense of purpose and so maybe we can jump right in and talk about how you found your purpose?
Growing up, I was one of two Indians in my grade school in Northern California. A shy skinny Indian kid who, as a result was bullied at times and could barely voice my opposition, let alone opinions. And life at home was militaristically strict to say the least. Good grades and an excellent report card were a must. I also moved between India and America often, sometimes with my parents, sometimes without and constantly had to adapt to changing circumstances, schools, people, languages and environments- never living in one place for more than two years after the age of 7. I had very few outlets at the time and found a home in my imagination. One thing that was constant was a fully packed schedule. No matter where I was, my mom would always make sure I was in either martial arts classes, music, theater, swimming or diving classes in the evenings after school followed by some form of tutoring. So I had to become this natural learner, able to adapt quickly. I eventually found my love and personal strength in sports, basketball in particular. Because I moved around a lot, it was hard to make friends so I’d spend my free time engrossed in books and movies of the time. I remember Hrithik Roshan was the new IT actor at the time and mimicking his moves became all the rave. I would spend endless hours behind closed doors, rehearsing each of his steps- rewinding, fast forwarding every second of choreography hundreds of times. I’d found a way to balance math and science with dance and film. I’d sit in theaters memorizing each and every dialogue that was said onscreen by our favorite heroes. Classic Bollywood that had that magic and inspiration you could look up. Still too shy to speak, I eventually gathered the courage to sign up for some local dance competitions at school or in our neighborhood during festival seasons of Ganesh Chaturti and Navratri in Hyderabad, India. To my surprise I won 3rd place in my first competition. All that closed door practicing had paid off! Thank you Enrique and Ricky Martin! I even won some sturdy Tupperware Boxes handed out to us kids as awards at the time! That little bit of encouragement allowed me to embrace what I loved even further. The balancing act between art and science continued on til college at the University of California of Irvine where I was studying Aerospace Engineering and would spend my nights (and early mornings) on the college Bollywood Dance Team known as HFD (Hindi FIlm Dance) which I captained to our college’s first national gold in Philly in my Sophomore Year with a team of mostly freshman dancers against the established Bollywood Giants of the time like UCSD, UCLA and others. While in my Junior year at UCI, while stills studying Aerospace, I had the privilege of joining a couple prestigious Bollywood dance Companies and was lucky enough to be on TV Shows like So You Think You Can Dance, Superstars of Dance, Good Morning America and performed nationally and internationally on TV, Film and Stage. But I felt as though something was always missing. I remembered fondly, my days silently mouthing the dialogues while watching movies of my favorite stars in the comfortable darkness of the movie theater. Spending hours in front of a TV Screen watching old hollywood and bollywood classics no one had heard of. My deepest obsession and love was for the movies I grew up on. I was in awe of the actors (and actresses) and the magic they possessed. But I never thought I’d be able to do what they did so effortlessly let alone make it a career. One day in my final year at UCI, as a mandatory elective I walked into an Acting 101 or improv class. “Conquer your fears” is what I remember thinking walking into that theater with my heart pounding. And though that first day I was mumbling and stuttering through everything on the page, never having truly used my full voice, hiding behind slick choreographed movements, I remember smiling to myself after class that day, knowing that, after years of searching and moving, that something finally clicked. It felt good. The challenge of the black emptiness of that theater hall, filled only with the stories our voices and bodies could paint. With other weirdos who were much like me. Misfits who found their purpose in communicating important, valiant ideas using their entire beings as a medium. A place where the heart feels home and the soul feels at peace. There we had to do Shakespeare, characterizations, improv, movement, voice, script breakdowns, sensory work and actually learn from the ground up what the actors I loved were actually doing on screen and onstage. How they achieved the magic we marvel at. I knew it was what I was looking for and a couple months later I would find myself auditioning for and being accepted to the American Academy of Dramatic Arts Conservatory in Los Angeles where I would further my acting training under some of the most knowledgeable and talented teachers of our times.
Following this path, has led to an exciting career in TV, Theater, Commercials and Film! And the best part about this journey by far, has been the like minded people I’ve met along the way. All the inspiring stories I’ve heard of them overcoming their own battles to finally find themselves and their calling. Their own purpose.
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
This year we screened my Directorial Debut Feature Film “Unmasked” in festivals across the US and India, most recently winning “Best Thriller” at The Hollywood Reel Independent Film Festival and bagging the award for Best Editing at the Mumbai Indian Cine Film Festival. Unmasked was a feature film that we self produced through our home production company Aikyam Entertainment which I urge you to support and follow! I also got to dance with Johnny Knoxville on his hilarious new show “Prank Panel” (yup still gotta love dance) a few months back! One recent memory I will never forget is getting to work opposite SNL comedy legend Ana Gastayer on NBC’s hit comedy American Auto and chopping it up with the hilarious cast and crew while off camera. I’ve been blessed to be able to work with and learn from some very talented people along the way. With many wonderful projects to look forward to- I greatly appreciate all of your love and support on this journey and look forward to entertaining you with captivating stories on stage and through film for years to come!
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
What I’ve learned from their stories, and my own experiences is that, if you put your mind to anything, truly giving it your all, there is always gold at the finish line (at the very least in terms of personal growth, but more often than not in ways that you never would have imagined). The only way to find yourself is through trial and error aka the cycles of failure and success that everyone must go through. That knowledge in itself will help you get through any hurdle that comes up on your way to whatever it is you want to achieve, and will undoubtedly cultivate resilience, satisfaction, and success over the long term. So the three things I would say are, the ability to adapt to changing circumstances because nothing is permanent, the resilience and drive to get through the tough times where solutions are not evident in the moment aka the ability to “keep the lamp of hope burning in times of darkness”, and most importantly a sense of humor and the ability to enjoy oneself along the way. Otherwise what is the point of any of this.
Awesome, really appreciate you opening up with us today and before we close maybe you can share a book recommendation with us. Has there been a book that’s been impactful in your growth and development?
I feel like no matter how much I learn, eventually life becomes about “unlearning” and deprogramming ourselves to be able to find our way back to this present moment. Back to our true selves. Two powerful books that have aided in that have been “The Untethered Soul” by Michael Singer and the “Power of Now” by Eckehart Tolle. These are books I always find myself returning time and time again, especially in the most chaotic of moments life has to offer. The Untethered Soul is a powerful book that allows us to let go of the fears we cling to and shift one’s perspective back to a place of growth, curiosity, peace and joy. The Power of Now which I am sure many of you have read, provides the same insight with invaluable exercises to force your attention back into the now. Where all pain of the mind ceases to exist. Something crucial to actors is the ability to live in the moment and not be in our heads. I also love renowned psychologist and holocaust survivor Viktor Frankl’s book “Man’s Search for Meaning”. A strong message on cutting through to what really matters to each of us, so we can do what we are meant to in our short time here. A book I am reading right now that has already been quite impactful is Martha Beck’s “The Way of Integrity” which I would highly recommend to anyone. I tend to gravitate towards non fiction since so much of my life and career is wrapped up in fictional narratives and I hope some of these can be as invaluable to you all as they have been for me.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.rishijaiswal.com
- Instagram: @therishijai
- Facebook: facebook.com/therishijai
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@jaiswagr
- Other: www.aikyamentertainment.com
- instagram.com/unmaskedthemovie
- facebook.com/aikyamentertainment
Image Credits
RGBTV Photography (by Raul)
