Amara Karan
Encyclopedia
Amara Karan (born Amara Karunakaran, 1 January 1984) is an English actress who made her film début as the love interest in Wes Anderson
's The Darjeeling Limited
. The film premièred at the 2007 Venice Film Festival. Her character was described in The Hollywood Reporter
as "the train's attractive Indian stewardess" while Time
called her 'lovely' and Variety
called her character the "comely train stewardess Rita", stating that "newcomer Karan makes a strong impression as the sexy 'sweet lime' girl". Karan's second film role was as wannabe airhead Peaches in the 2007 St Trinian's
film.
She made her stage début in a 2008 RSC
production of The Merchant of Venice
.
, England
to Sri Lanka
n Tamil parents who had emigrated to England from Zambia
two years before she was born. She was born and brought up in Wimbledon
and attended Wimbledon High School
. She shortened her surname to Karan.
Karan went on to study at St Catherine's College
, Oxford University and while there began acting in amateur plays including Sunday Morning at the Centre of the World at the Burton Taylor Theatre
for which she received rave reviews and was also singled out for her performance in When We Are Married
at the Old Fire Station theatre. During her time at Oxford, Karan wrote, directed, produced, and acted in a short film, By Myself, which came in second place in the 2002 Shoestring Shorts Competition.
She began her career as an investment banker (at Hawkpoint and CIBC World Markets) specialising in mergers and acquisitions, before studying for an MA
degree in acting at The Arts Educational Schools London.
She carried the 2008 Olympic Torch during its time in London.
Wes Anderson
Wesley Wales Anderson is an American film director, screenwriter, actor, and producer of features, short films and commercials....
's The Darjeeling Limited
The Darjeeling Limited
The Darjeeling Limited is a 2007 comedy-drama film directed by Wes Anderson, and starring Owen Wilson, Adrien Brody, and Jason Schwartzman. It was written by Anderson, Schwartzman, and Roman Coppola...
. The film premièred at the 2007 Venice Film Festival. Her character was described in The Hollywood Reporter
The Hollywood Reporter
Formerly a daily trade magazine, The Hollywood Reporter re-launched in late 2010 as a unique hybrid publication serving the entertainment industry and a consumer audience...
as "the train's attractive Indian stewardess" while Time
Time (magazine)
Time is an American news magazine. A European edition is published from London. Time Europe covers the Middle East, Africa and, since 2003, Latin America. An Asian edition is based in Hong Kong...
called her 'lovely' and Variety
Variety (magazine)
Variety is an American weekly entertainment-trade magazine founded in New York City, New York, in 1905 by Sime Silverman. With the rise of the importance of the motion-picture industry, Daily Variety, a daily edition based in Los Angeles, California, was founded by Silverman in 1933. In 1998, the...
called her character the "comely train stewardess Rita", stating that "newcomer Karan makes a strong impression as the sexy 'sweet lime' girl". Karan's second film role was as wannabe airhead Peaches in the 2007 St Trinian's
St Trinian's (2007 film)
St Trinian's is the sixth in a long-running series of films based on the works of cartoonist Ronald Searle. The first five films form a series, starting with The Belles of St Trinian's in 1954, with sequels in 1957, 1960, 1966 and 1980....
film.
She made her stage début in a 2008 RSC
Royal Shakespeare Company
The Royal Shakespeare Company is a major British theatre company, based in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, England. The company employs 700 staff and produces around 20 productions a year from its home in Stratford-upon-Avon and plays regularly in London, Newcastle-upon-Tyne and on tour across...
production of The Merchant of Venice
The Merchant of Venice
The Merchant of Venice is a tragic comedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1596 and 1598. Though classified as a comedy in the First Folio and sharing certain aspects with Shakespeare's other romantic comedies, the play is perhaps most remembered for its dramatic...
.
Background
Karan was born in LondonLondon
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
to Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the...
n Tamil parents who had emigrated to England from Zambia
Zambia
Zambia , officially the Republic of Zambia, is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. The neighbouring countries are the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the north, Tanzania to the north-east, Malawi to the east, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Botswana and Namibia to the south, and Angola to the west....
two years before she was born. She was born and brought up in Wimbledon
Wimbledon, London
Wimbledon is a district in the south west area of London, England, located south of Wandsworth, and east of Kingston upon Thames. It is situated within Greater London. It is home to the Wimbledon Tennis Championships and New Wimbledon Theatre, and contains Wimbledon Common, one of the largest areas...
and attended Wimbledon High School
Wimbledon High School
.Wimbledon High School is an independent girls' school in Wimbledon, South West London. It is run by the Girls' Day School Trust and celebrated its 130th birthday on November 9 2010, having been founded by Edith Hastings in 1880. WHS educates girls between the ages of 4 and 18.The motto is "Ex...
. She shortened her surname to Karan.
Karan went on to study at St Catherine's College
St Catherine's College, Oxford
St Catherine's College, often called Catz, is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. Its motto is Nova et Vetera...
, Oxford University and while there began acting in amateur plays including Sunday Morning at the Centre of the World at the Burton Taylor Theatre
Burton Taylor Theatre
The Burton Taylor Studio is a 50-seater studio theatre owned by Oxford University. It is situated on Gloucester Street off Beaumont Street in Oxford, United Kingdom close to the Oxford Playhouse, a larger professional theatre, which manages the Burton Taylor Studio on behalf of the University...
for which she received rave reviews and was also singled out for her performance in When We Are Married
When We Are Married
When We Are Married is a 1938 play by English dramatist, J. B. Priestley. It is the first play ever to be televised unedited from a theatre.-Productions:* 1938 World premiere, London, England* 16 November 1938 BBC live telecast...
at the Old Fire Station theatre. During her time at Oxford, Karan wrote, directed, produced, and acted in a short film, By Myself, which came in second place in the 2002 Shoestring Shorts Competition.
She began her career as an investment banker (at Hawkpoint and CIBC World Markets) specialising in mergers and acquisitions, before studying for an MA
Master of Arts (postgraduate)
A Master of Arts from the Latin Magister Artium, is a type of Master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The M.A. is usually contrasted with the M.S. or M.Sc. degrees...
degree in acting at The Arts Educational Schools London.
She carried the 2008 Olympic Torch during its time in London.
Film
- 2002 - By Myself (shortShort subjectA short film is any film not long enough to be considered a feature film. No consensus exists as to where that boundary is drawn: the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences defines a short film as "an original motion picture that has a running time of 40 minutes or less, including all...
) - 2007 - The Darjeeling LimitedThe Darjeeling LimitedThe Darjeeling Limited is a 2007 comedy-drama film directed by Wes Anderson, and starring Owen Wilson, Adrien Brody, and Jason Schwartzman. It was written by Anderson, Schwartzman, and Roman Coppola...
as Rita - 2007 - St Trinian'sSt Trinian's (2007 film)St Trinian's is the sixth in a long-running series of films based on the works of cartoonist Ronald Searle. The first five films form a series, starting with The Belles of St Trinian's in 1954, with sequels in 1957, 1960, 1966 and 1980....
as Peaches - 2009 - Harmonica Swing (short) as Mary
- 2009 - King Jeff (2short) as Ashley
- 2011 - The TaskThe Task (film)The Task is a 2011 horror film directed by Alex Orwell, written by Kenny Yakkel, produced by Christopher Milburn and Courtney Solomon, starring Alexandra Staden, Victor McGuire and Adam Rayner...
as Toni
Television
- The BillThe BillThe Bill is a police procedural television series that ran from October 1984 to August 2010. It focused on the lives and work of one shift of police officers, rather than on any particular aspect of police work...
- Match Day Violence (2007) as Abha Chaudhari
- Poirot
- Cat Among the Pigeons (2008) as Princess Shaista
- Doctor WhoDoctor WhoDoctor Who is a British science fiction television programme produced by the BBC. The programme depicts the adventures of a time-travelling humanoid alien known as the Doctor who explores the universe in a sentient time machine called the TARDIS that flies through time and space, whose exterior...
- The God ComplexThe God Complex"The God Complex" is the eleventh episode of the sixth series of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. It was first broadcast on BBC One, BBC America and Space on 17 September 2011.-Plot summary:...
(2011) as Rita
- The God Complex
Theatre
- The Merchant of Venice (2008) as Jessica
- The Taming of the Shrew (2008) as Bianca