A Naga model who shattered the glass ceiling and cracked into Bollywood’s niche industry, Andrea Kevichüsa is India’s rising star, and probably the only good thing to come out of Anek.
At the age of fifteen, a Kohima born Kevichüsa had no clue what modelling agencies even were. But as fate would have it, she was soon scouted by Anima Creative Management at the age of 16. Eventually, she shed her dream of becoming a doctor and opted to try her luck in the entertainment industry. In 2022, her sacrifice paid off.
In an interview with The Morung Express, she revealed that, “After having received the script, I was very happy to find that my character in the film was one that I could explore extensively, skill-wise. She is an independent character that very much embodies an empowered strong female-lead and I am delighted to have played her.”
Kevichüsa is the youngest of five daughters and was born and raised in Kohima. Her father is an Angami and her mother, an Ao.
Recalling her modeling days she revealed, “The directors of my agency were kind enough to come all the way to Kohima from Mumbai to meet my family and I to run us through how the industry generally worked. Though I was still quite adamant on doing my medical studies, I decided to give it a shot after a few months, when I turned 16.”
Still in school at that point in time, she shuffled her time between studies and shoots. “I would fly to Mumbai every summer and winter break or whenever I could afford to miss classes and would often find myself preparing for exams in-flights,” she recollects. When she turned 18, Kevichüsa moved to Mumbai to try her luck and was eventually cast for the role in Anek.
Initially, she was reluctant about the role because it involved boxing, Later after careful deliberation, she chose to go for it. “I didn’t think I was ready to take that big of a step in my life yet but after much deliberation and back-and-forth with my parents, I put into account the enormity of an opportunity I was being handed and decided to do it.” And thank god she did!
Here’s to more NE representation in Bollywood!
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