Rishi Nair Explained

Birth Name:Rishi Kumar Nair
Birth Date:22 January 1991
Birth Place:Ealing, London, England
Years Active:2013–present

Rishi Kumar Nair (born 22 January 1991) is an English actor. On television, he is known for his role in the Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks (2017–2021) and the ITVX comedy Count Abdulla (2023). He has joined the cast of the ITV detective drama Grantchester (2024) for its ninth series.

Early life

Nair was born in the West London Borough of Ealing.[1]

Career

Nair made his television debut in 2015 with appearances episodes of the BBC One police procedurals Silent Witness and New Tricks. He also had stage roles in The Jungle Book at the Emporium Theatre in Brighton,[2] The Sawyer Studies at the Etcetera Theatre in London,[3] and Bring on the Bollywood at Belgrade Theatre in Coventry.[4] He appeared in the independent films I'm Still Here (2013), The Forbidden Note (2016), and Retribution (2017).

Also in 2017, Nair joined the cast of the Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks as lawyer Sami Maalik, a new member of the Maalik family, making his debut in September 2017.[5] [6] For his performance, Nair was shortlisted for Best Newcomer at the 2018 Inside Soap Awards. He exited the soap at the end of 2021 after four years.[7]

After leaving Hollyoaks, Nair appeared in the 2022 comedy film Brian and Charles[8] and had guest roles in the Acorn TV crime drama Whitstable Pearl and the Netflix series Treason. In 2023, Nair played Maajid in the ITVX vampire sitcom Count Abdulla.[9] In July 2023, it was announced Nair would join the cast of the ITV detective drama Grantchester for its ninth series[10] as vicar Alphy Kottaram, replacing the outgoing Tom Brittney (who plays Reverend Will Davenport) in the main ensemble.[11]

Filmography

Film

YearTitleRoleNotes
2013I'm Still HereVisitor
2016The Forbidden NoteAli
2017RetributionRohit
2022Brian and CharlesStephen Alderton

Television

YearTitleRoleNotes
2015Silent WitnessDean's Heavy2 episodes
2015New TricksAJ Da SilvaEpisode: "Prodigal Sons"
2017–2021HollyoaksSami Maalik256 episodes
2020The DuchessReceptionist1 episode
2022Whitstable PearlAdnanEpisode: "To Those We Love"
2022TreasonMet Officer1 episode
2023Count AbdullaMaajid5 episodes
2024GrantchesterAlphy KotteramMain role
TBAThe Marlow Murder ClubShamil Malik
TBARomeo Hotel ElevenJaye

Stage

YearTitleRoleNotes
2015The Jungle BookShere KhanEmporium Theatre, Brighton
2015The Sawyer StudiesConnorEtcetera Theatre, London
2016Bring on the BollywoodAmitBelgrade Theatre, Coventry

Awards and nominations

YearAwardCategoryWorkResultscope=col class=unsortable
2018Inside Soap AwardsBest NewcomerHollyoaks[12]
2019Inside Soap AwardsBest ActorHollyoaks[13]
202025th National Television AwardsSerial Drama PerformanceHollyoaks[14]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Grantchester season 9: Who is Rishi Nair? Meet the actor who plays Will Davenport's successor. Sportskeeda. Bhavya. Kapoor. 13 July 2023. 9 January 2024.
  2. Web site: REVIEW: The Jungle Book at Emporium. Scene Magazine. Besi. Besemar. 12 July 2015. 10 January 2024.
  3. Web site: The Sawyer Studies at the Etcetera Theatre – Review. London Theatre. Terry. Eastham. 2 December 2015. 10 January 2024.
  4. Web site: Phizzical's BRING ON THE BOLLYWOOD to Play Belgrade Theatre. BroadwayWorld. Tyler. Peterson. 11 April 2016. 10 January 2024.
  5. Web site: Hollyoaks newbie Rishi Nair promises a big revenge plot for Sami Maalik. Digital Spy. Daniel. Kilkelly. 21 September 2017. 9 January 2024.
  6. Web site: 3 South Asian Film and TV Stars Share the Challenges They've Faced Breaking Into the Industry. PopSugar. Pooja. Shah. 10 September 2021. 10 January 2024.
  7. Web site: Hollyoaks exit confirmed for Sami Maalik as Rishi Nair bows out. Digital Spy. Daniel. Kilkelly. 17 December 2021. 17 December 2021.
  8. Web site: Rishi Nair. British Comedy Guide. 10 January 2024.
  9. Web site: Count Abdulla actor Rishi Nair. BBC Asian Network. Haroon. Rashid. 13 June 2023. 10 January 2024.
  10. Web site: Grantchester's Rishi Nair shares exciting update on series nine after joining the cast. Hello!. Megan. Bull. 19 July 2023. 9 January 2024.
  11. Web site: 'Grantchester': Tom Brittney To Leave Masterpiece Series; Rishi Nair Joins Cast As New Vicar. Deadline Hollywood. Lynette. Rice. 12 July 2023. 13 July 2023.
  12. News: Kilkelly. Daniel. Coronation Street tops Inside Soap Awards 2018 shortlist with 18 nominations. 21 November 2018. Digital Spy. 16 October 2018.
  13. Web site: Inside Soap Awards 2019 longlist has been revealed. Digital Spy. July 2019.
  14. Web site: Harp. Justin. Love Island, Emmerdale, Killing Eve, Drag Race UK and more land National Television Awards longlist nominations. Digital Spy. 15 October 2019. 28 October 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20191028233932/https://www.digitalspy.com/tv/a29465042/national-television-awards-2020-longlist-revealed/. 28 October 2019. live.