Actor Adhir scoops leading lady
HE’S acted alongside Hollywood superstars George Clooney, Kevin Bacon and Natalie Portman and is living the high life in LA’s Hollywood Hills. But when it was time for Adhir Kalyan to tie the knot, Durban was the place to be.
After all, that’s where the charming 33-year-old actor’s roots are.
A Durban boy at heart, Kalyan married his sweetheart, Emily Wilson, in a traditional Hindu ceremony at Kendra Hall on December 30. About 400 guests witnessed his best performance yet.
Kalyan met Wilson, a 31-year-old actress and TV host, when she auditioned for the part of his girlfriend in the American sitcom, Rules of Engagement.
While she did not get the part, she won his heart and the couple began a relationship in 2011 after their first date, which was over a cup of tea.
The couple married in a Western ceremony in Palm Springs in the US in October but the traditional wedding was in Durban.
“We are very embracing of each other’s beliefs. Emily helps light the lamp daily,” Kalyan told POST.
Both follow Buddhist teachings and intend raising their children, which their parents are so anxiously awaiting, in both the Hindu and Christian way.
While many actors come across as aloof and unfriendly, Kalyan is down to earth and has a great sense of humour.
It’s no wonder his first role was in the comedy series, Aliens in America, in which he played the character of a Muslim foreign exchange student Rajah living with an American family post 9/11.
“That show literally changed my life and was the launchpad for my
How did a boy who grew up in Gillitts, near Pinetown, land up acting in Hollywood?
He was 4 years old when his parents, dad Jitendra, an executive director at a resin company, and mother Sandy Kalyan, a DA MP, enrolled him at the Saira Essa Drama School.
“I don’t know if they just wanted quiet time or whether they saw real potential in me. Either way, after the first class I was hooked. Saturday mornings became my favourite.”
He said at the age of 9 he wanted to be in every profession he saw on television. “I realised only acting would allow me to be all of them.”
After completing high school on a full scholarship at Crawford College Durban, Kalyan attained a degree in politics and psychology through Unisa.
“These subjects interested me because my mother has both qualifications. Acting is an examination of the human condition and psychology has helped me feel the characters I play.”
In the early 2000s Kalyan forfeited a place at the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama in London. “The cost was 16 times more than in South Africa and scholarships were not freely available.”
He returned to South Africa and spent three years gaining experience through theatre work.
In 2006 he headed to London to work as a runner in a post-production film company.
“I lived hand to mouth, making enough money for food and rent and after two years managed to secure an agent.
“My agent told me about Aliens in America. I went to America to audition and have not returned.”
He has since acted in Nip Tuck, a series also screened in South Africa.
“I played a 16-year-old plastic surgeon in season five.”
One of his longest-running acting roles was in the series Rules of Engagement, in which he played Timir “Timmy” Patel, personal assistant to actor David Spade’s character, Russell Dunbar.
Kalyan has acted in several movies, including Paul Blart Mall Cop, Fired Up, Youth in Revolt, Up in the Air and No Strings Attached.
His most recent project was a series for Amazon with Kevin Bacon titled I love Dick, in which he plays an artist.
It was through acting that he met his wife, actress Emily Wilson, 31. Speaking of the mixed-race relationship, Kalyan said no one noticed in the US, “but in South Africa it’s different and Emily did notice”.
While LA is home, Kalyan said he enjoyed visiting Durban once a year and hoped to stay for longer periods.
The couple left for the US on Saturday.