# Amrit Kaur (actress)

Amrit Kaur (born June 4, 1993) is a Canadian actress, producer, and writer, best known for her role as Bela Malhotra on the 2021 HBO Max series, The Sex Lives of College Girls. She is a company member of Gracemoon Arts Theatre, Salon, and Gallery.

## Early life and education

Amrit Kaur grew up in an Indian Sikh family in Markham, Ontario. Her parents emigrated from India to Canada before she was born.
She began acting as an extracurricular in high school, serving as the senior captain of her school's improv team. She earned her BFA in theatre from the School of the Arts, Media, Performance & Design at York University in Toronto. In her early twenties, she met acting coach Michèle Lonsdale-Smith, whom she credits to have been instrumental in her artistic growth and career.

### Career

Amrit Kaur is best known for her breakout role of Bela Malhotra in Mindy Kaling's Sex Lives of College Girls. She has acted in various television shows, including Kim's Convenience and Star Trek: Short Treks. Kaur also played Pasha in the 2017 Canadian film Brown Girl Begins and had appeared as Jessie in the 2018 romantic comedy film Little Italy.
Kaur was cast as freshman Bela Malhotra on Mindy Kaling's television series, The Sex Lives of College Girls, which premiered on HBO Max in November 2021 and was renewed for a second season the following month. She auditioned for the role despite not having the required O-1 Visa, which allows "individuals with extraordinary ability or achievement" to work in the United States for up to three years. Because the producers discovered that she didn't have the visa, they canceled her callback but later gave her another chance. She then advanced to the final round of auditions but her O-1 Visa application was rejected. However, all of the producers on the show – including Kaling – wrote letters urging the U.S. government to accept her visa, which was later approved.
She won the Canadian Screen Award for Best Lead Performance in a Drama Film at the 12th Canadian Screen Awards in 2024 for The Queen of My Dreams. In her viral acceptance speech, she criticized those “telling us artists not to speak up in fear of losing jobs”, before calling for a “ceasefire now, free Palestine”. Amrit Kaur is a founding member of Gracemoon Arts Company. In the summer of 2024, she played a pivotal role in establishing their Off-Broadway theatre in Bushwick, New York. Gracemoon Arts Company is characterized as “a new space is dedicated to giving back to the community and producing work that inspires conversations about humanitarian issues.” Amrit Kaur is also an activist who articulates her mandate as "to do art that will teach girls, particularly South Asian girls, that they don’t have to live a life of oppression.” Amrit has candidly shared her struggles with insecurity during her formative years and how these feelings motivated her to pursue acting. She aimed to become a role model for young girls who share similar experiences.

## Filmography
### Film

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 2017 | Brown Girl Begins | Pasha | |
| 2018 | Little Italy | Jessie | |
| 2023 | The Queen of My Dreams | Azra and Young Mariam | Dual role |
| 2024 | Young Werther | Melanie | |
| 2024 | Stealing Vows | Gina | |

### Television

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 2015–2018 | Anarkali | Roop | 20 episodes |
| 2016 | American Gothic | Staffer | 1 episode |
| 2017 | Odd Squad | Annette | 1 episode |
| 2017 | Kim's Convenience | Lauren | 1 episode |
| 2019 | The Bold Type | Ginny | 1 episode |
| 2019 | Star Trek: Short Treks | Cadet Thira Sidhu | 1 episode |
| 2019 | Hudson & Rex | Gabby Mitchell | 2 episodes |
| 2020 | Nurses | Dawn | 1 episode |
| 2020 | The D Cut | Viva | 6 episodes |
| 2021–2025 | The Sex Lives of College Girls | Bela Malhotra | Lead role (30 episodes) |

## Awards

| Association | Year | Category | Work | Result | Ref. |
| Iris Prize Festival | 2023 | Best Actress | The Queen of My Dreams | Won | |
| Canadian Screen Awards | 2024 | Best Lead Performance in a Drama Film | The Queen of My Dreams | Won | |