# Aysha Kala

Aysha Kala (born 1990/1991) is an English actress and theatre maker. On television, she is known for her roles in the Channel 4 series Shameless (2011) and Indian Summers (2015–2016), and the BBC One crime drama Virdee (2025). She was named a 2015 BAFTA Breakthrough Brit.

## Early life

Kala grew up in Snaresbrook, East London. Her father is Gujarati Muslim.
Kala attended Chigwell School. She graduated from the Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama in 2013.

## Career

Kala made her television debut in 2011 when she joined the cast of Shameless on Channel 4 for its eighth series as Sita Desai. She then made her professional stage debut in 2012 with roles in the Royal Shakespeare Company production of Much Ado About Nothing in Stratford-upon-Avon, for which she received an Ian Charleson Award nomination, and Khadija is 18 at the Finborough Theatre, for which she was nominated for an Off West End Award.
Upon graduating from drama school in 2013, Kala made her feature film debut in the comedy Jadoo. She also appeared in Farragut North at Southwark Playhouse and Djinns Of Eidgah at the Royal Court Theatre.
In 2015 and 2016, Kala had a main role as Sooni Dalal in the Channel 4 drama Indian Summers.
In the years following, Kala did more theatre, including PunkPlay at Southwark Playhouse in 2016, Obsession at the Barbican Theatre in 2017, Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike at the Theatre Royal, Bath in 2019, and The Welkin at the National Theatre in 2020. Kala returned to television in 2021 with guest appearances in the BBC series Call the Midwife and the Netflix series Master of None. This was followed in 2022 by recurring roles in Man vs. Bee, also on Netflix, and the Channel 4 thriller The Undeclared War.
Kala returned to the National Theatre in 2023 when she originated the role of Jessica Levy in The Motive and the Cue, directed by Sam Mendes, and took over the role of Vimala in The Father and the Assassin. She has upcoming roles in the Apple TV+ series Criminal Record and the Paramount+ series The Doll Factory.

## Filmography
### Film

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 2013 | Jadoo | Seema Chandana | 8 episodes (series 8) |
| 2014 | Second Coming | Waitress | |
| 2015 | Exmas | Ice Queen | Short film |
| 2019 | Osama Bin Hiding | Myra | Short film |
| 2019 | Home Girl | Roya | Short film |
| 2019 | The Deranged Marriage | Sona | Short film |

### Television

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 2011 | Shameless | Sita Desai | 8 episodes (series 8) |
| 2013 | Vicious | Emma | Episode: "Clubbing" |
| 2015–2016 | Indian Summers | Sooni Dalal | Main role |
| 2021 | Call the Midwife | Sarita Gupta | 1 episode |
| 2021 | Master of None | Reshmi | Episode: "Moments in Love, Chapter 1" |
| 2022 | Man vs. Bee | Detective | 2 episodes |
| 2022 | The Undeclared War | Amina | 3 episodes |
| 2023 | The Doll Factory | Ananya | 3 episodes |
| 2024 | Criminal Record | Sonya Singh | 8 episodes |
| 2025 | Virdee | Saima Virdee | 6 episodes |

## Stage

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 2012 | Much Ado About Nothing | Maid | Courtyard Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon |
| 2012 | Khadija is 18 | Khadija | Finborough Theatre, London |
| 2013 | Farragut North | Molly | Southwark Playhouse, London |
| 2013 | Djinns Of Eidgah | Ashrafi | Royal Court Theatre, London |
| 2016 | PunkPlay | Various | Southwark Playhouse, London |
| 2017 | Obsession | Anita | Barbican Theatre, London |
| 2018 | Frogman | Fiona | Shoreditch Town Hall, London |
| 2018 | An Adventure | Sonal / Joy | Bush Theatre, London |
| 2019 | Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike | Nina | Theatre Royal, Bath |
| 2020 | The Welkin | Peg Carter | National Theatre, London |
| 2021 | Under the Mask | | Rose Theatre, Kingston |
| 2022 | Scandaltown | Hannah | Lyric Theatre, Hammersmith |
| 2023 | The Motive and the Cue | Jessica Levy | National Theatre, London |
| 2023 | The Father and the Assassin | Vimala | National Theatre, London |

## Audio

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 2015 | Earthsea | Tenar | BBC Radio 4 |
| 2015 | The City of Woven Streets | Narrator | Novel by Emmi Itäranta |
| 2016 | Radio Silence | Narrator | Novel by Alice Oseman |
| 2018 | I Was Born for This | Narrator | Novel by Alice Oseman |

## Awards and nominations

| Year | Award | Category | Work | Result | Ref. |
| 2012 | Off West End Awards | Plays: Female Performance | Khadija is 18 | Nominated | |
| 2013 | Ian Charleson Awards | Ian Charleson Awards | Much Ado About Nothing | Nominated | |