Actor, model, and host, Teeshay Shah is an established Desi entertainer and Bollywood personality. Now, this current LA resident is making waves right here in America. An in-depth chat with Teeshay offers a candid, up-close, and personal insight into the mind and life of this rising star.
Hollywood calling
Teeshay’s Bollywood journey is well documented. Shah started in India as a model for commercials, moved on to acting in TV serials and movies, and even hosted on television for Indian cricket. His foray into Hollywood, however, is not as linear. It began rather adventitiously about five or so years ago when he was holidaying in America as a tourist. He was noticed for his looks and charm, and the rest, as they say, is history! Supported by his mom, a theater actress, and his dad, a pharmacist, this engineer-turned-actor strived hard to make a mark for himself internationally in a glitzy, though undoubtedly tough, industry.
Multifaceted
Director of Hiraeth and star of The Perfect Girl, Teeshay recently added the romcom, Furry Little Christmas, to his repertoire in December od 2021. In 2017, he was also seen in the CBS hit series SEAL Team. His move to Los Angeles further opened up new opportunities in scriptwriting, directing, and producing. Indeed, Teeshay Shah is a man of many facets and talents. With his infallible optimism, and the growing influx of a diverse set of talent in Hollywood, this young all-rounder is set to go from strength to strength.
What’s in the works?
Very soon, Teeshay’s work will be taking him to the Big Apple where he will be shooting for a new eight-part series romantic comedy, making his dream to work as an actor in New York a reality. Teeshay’ character is a diner owner whose friend takes twenty long years to make his love life successfully work. As an integral character for plot development, Teeshay notes, “It’s huge and I’m super excited.”
What does Teeshay do when not working?
When he’s not acting, or prepping for an audition, Teeshay is an avid cricket player who works out regularly, and loves to hang out with friends—cooking with them, hosting game nights, exploring parts of California, or grooving to Bollywood music. Work and pleasure have also made a fair amount of travel possible. According to him, in the last fifteen months, he’s had the fortune of visiting Scotland, NYC, Colorado, Las Vegas, India, and Mexico. He’s been on the top of the Burj Khalifa, and visited London. Being a cricket buff, it’s unsurprising that the iconic Lord’s Cricket Ground left the otherwise chatty Teeshay, speechless.
Giving back
Behind the scenes, Teeshay’s been doing his bit to help newbie actors break into Hollywood by talking about his tryst with the entertainment world. As a self-made actor who started out pretty much with a blank resume and zero contacts, Teeshay has much to offer. Couple that with the brave move to America that certainly brings its share of working through the complex legality of getting US visas and work permits, for instance. In the past he’s appeared on Wendy Alane Wright’s Hollywood Winners Circle, talking about his journey, providing invaluable insights to budding actors/ actors of color who are attempting to break into Hollywood.
Now, and in the future
Filled with gratitude and relatively grounded, it’s apparent that Teeshay Shah loves what he does, and is proud of his accomplishments. Acting and entertainment is the life he chose, and he says, “I’ve never needed to look back.” He believes in living in the present, and gives his best shot to every audition, which, according to him, is competitive, and puts him through the grind every time. A few years down the road, he would like to see himself in a successful series.
Us too, Teeshay. Keep up the good work and positive attitude!
Nidhi Kirpal Jayadevan‘s pre-kids life was dedicated to the complex field of Communication Sciences. After choosing to be a full-time mother, reading and playing with her high-energy boys has been a fascinating journey. It has (re)kindled in her a sense of wonder in all things small. She constantly sees the world through little eyes, applying simple learnings to deepen life’s meaning for herself and her family.