TV INTERVIEW: MANISH DAYAL

 

Fans of 90210 will get to know Mr. Dayal as the young college freshman who is the boyfriend of surfer-girl Ivy and who has to deal with a smorgasbord of issues ranging from drugs to illnesses. A powerful and gripping role indeed, but Mr. Dayal had quite the interesting journey en route to Hollywood. What started with an audition for the short film Time and the Hour Run when he was a student at the George Washington University soon morphed into a budding career in several mainstream productions.

 

“In college, I did a short film; it was my first introduction to the business,” Mr. Dayal told Buzzine while enjoying a coffee at a local café. “Afterwards, I graduated with … a media degree, and then moved to New York where I was working freelance gigs, just trying to make ends meet.”

 

In making those proverbial ends meet while he built his acting career brick-by-brick, Mr. Dayal finally landed a feature film gig in India, starring in a Tollywood (Telugu) production shot in India.

 

Returning back to New York with an Indian film under his belt, it was not long before Mr. Dayal started finding work doing commercials. As his resume began to fill out, the opportunities began to file in one-by-one, leading Mr. Dayal to pack his bags yet again, this time leaving New York for Los Angeles.

 

Working a few gigs here in Hollywood, Mr. Dayal eventually auditioned for and secured the role of 90210’s Raj.

 

“(Raj is) the love interest of this girl named Ivy. He’s comedic, lively, charismatic--a skater punk living in Los Angeles,” Mr. Dayal, who will make his 90210 debut on February 21st, told Buzzine. “He and Ivy fall in love very quickly because, as you learn later in the series, their relationship gets escalated because of some dramatic turns.”

 

Enduring Raj's dramatic twists and turns was totally worth it for Mr. Dayal, as it gave him an opportunity to be a part of the 90210 cast.

 

 “90210 is an exciting series for me to be a part of, and I am thrilled to portray this very unique role--an opportunity that doesn’t come up too often in our business,” Mr. Dayal stated.

 

Someone who shares in Mr. Dayal’s excitement is Rebecca Sinclair, who is the executive producer of 90210.

 

“Manish is a dynamic and vibrant young actor, and I’m thrilled that he’s joined the cast of 90210. Manish will be playing the role of Raj,” Ms. Sinclair chimed in about the South Carolina native who now resides in Los Angeles. “Raj is a charismatic skater kid who seems initially to be a laid-back stoner but who will turn out to have hidden depths.”

 

Speaking of depth, Mr. Dayal has quite the extensive acting resume and filmography. Among the lot of characters he portrayed are Ravi on NBC’s Outsourced, Hal on AMC’s Rubicon, Rishi in CBS’s CSI: Las Vegas, and voiceovers in a pair of Grand Theft Auto video games.

 

Oh, he also starred in Shailja Gupta’s Walkway and Jerry Bruckheimer’s summer Disney production of The Sorcerer’s Apprentice, which featured Nicolas Cage, Jay Baruchel, Alfred Molina, and Monica Bellucci.

 

In addition to film and television, Mr. Dayal has appeared on stage as the lead role in the 2008 twice-extended off-Broadway production of Rafta Rafta, and the Chester Theatre Company’s award-winning Dov and Ali, in addition to several advertorial campaigns for McDonalds, Windows, Nintendo, Dominoes, and Citibank.

 

As for which he prefers, Mr. Dayal says there are elements of film and television that, while indeed different, are equally compelling.

 

“I really like TV because it moves fast. You get to see what you are working on very quickly. Film I like because it gives you the opportunity to develop characters and work with the director over time,” Mr. Dayal candidly told Buzzine. “They are both great. I like them both.”

 

Another thing he likes is the integration and melding of ethnic Indian characters into mainstream Hollywood, with NRIs taking on less stereotypical roles and instead being fused into productions as everyday people irrespective of skin tone or cultural background.

 

“In films like Inception and such, you are seeing an Indian member of every sort of ensemble because that is actually the reality now,” Mr. Dayal opined. “It’s important that film and television do that, just like my character in 90210. He’s not necessarily referred to, ever, as an Indian. He’s just a part of the group.”

 

That group is 90210, which is currently in its third season. A teen drama produced by CBS Television Studios, 90210 was developed by Rob Thomas, Jeff Judah, and Gabe Sachs. The mid-season premiere aired on January 24th, and Manish’s character, Raj, will debut on February 21st.

 

The series airs on the CW Network on Mondays at 8/7c.