TV INTERVIEW: MELANIE KANNOKADA

Of course, the Stanford alumnae came to Tinsel Town on a quest to pursue an acting career, so her appearance on Rules of Engagement is no accident. When one considers the Chicago native with New York City connects and a Bay Area connection who found a home in Los Angeles due to a resume that included a Miss India America crown in 2007 and being named one of 2010's Most Sexy and Successful by Anokhi Magazine, it is indeed no wonder Ms. Kannokada is finding a life as an engineer-turned-model-turned-actress.

 

“I came to New York for a corporate job, (but) I always dreamed of being actress. I think I caught the acting bug when I was in second grade spelling class and we had to perform skits using all the words in that week's spelling lesson,” Ms. Kannokada informed Buzzine in an exclusive interview. ”I didn't explore legitimate acting till I finished college, when I moved to NYC for a corporate job and was immersed in such a vibrant arts community. I started taking improv classes on the side, then began performing sketch comedy, then landed a TV hosting job, then started booking modeling work, then began formal acting training, then booked and shot leads in two independent films... and things continued to spiral. So I quit my job. And now I'm in LaLa land. And I'm not looking back.”

 

Currently running in its fifth season and starring the likes of Patrick Warburton, Megyn Price, Oliver Hudson, Bianca Kajlich, and David Spade, Ms. Kannokada is actually the second thespian with Indian roots to be featured on Rules of Engagement; Adhir Kalyan, an Indian South African, is a series regular since season four.

 

“I play Adhir Kalyan (Timmy)'s sister,” Ms. Kannokada excitedly said of her role on Rules of Engagement. “When Russell (Spade) finds out Timmy has a younger sister, he tries everything he can to impress me. And it's quite hysterical.”

 

With both her and Mr. Kalyan featured on the same sitcom, Ms. Kannokada believes, with so many primetime network television programs featuring actors of Indian or South Asian descent, it is an announcement of the ethnic group’s arrival in Hollywood.

 

“I think this is a hot time for young Indians in Hollywood,” Ms. Kannokada candidly told this writer. “Everyone is starting to get onto these major shows, and casting directors (and) writers are (bringing in) Indian roles.”

 

Among the other projects Ms. Kannokada has worked on are the Sony international television series In The Qube and the titular lead role in the upcoming indie production of Love, Lies & Seeta. Just the same, the actress is also finding traction in the branding space, what with her serving as the face of the Crocs Fall 2011 Global Campaign, and modeling for major corporate conglomerates such as NesCafe, Verizon, Glamour Magazine, P&G, and Herbal Essences. 

 

Oh, and Ms. Kannokada also did a few runway shows for Indian designers, including Manish Malhotra and Malani Ramani.

 

If all this was not enough, Ms. Kannokada has a little bit of Uma Thurman from Kill Bill lore in her bones, what with her second-degree black belt in Shotokan Karate (and a few international competitions to that effect) stowed in tow. "I didn't think this skill would come to use for my acting career.. but that is definitely not the case. Need a girl that can fight in an action movie? Done and done," she says. (Fittingly, Ms. Kannokada spoke with this writer as Ms. Thurman whizzed right by them in the second floor hallway of the Beverly Hills-area building.)

 

Add to that improv comedy gigs, a high school cheerleading squad to championships, the ability to compose tunes on the piano, and service as the Stanford University Student Body President, Ms. Kannokada is more than just a superstar in the making--she is quite the humblest and most beautiful woman to grace this place called Earth.

 

Through it all, Ms. Kannokada is just doing what we are all doing in Hollywood--pulling all the stops to realize something more than a faint dream.

 

“It’s hard to say there is a plan in this industry. I think all you have to do is wake up every morning and go after things as hard as you can. I’ve had several great auditions, been considered for some awesome parts … you never know what the day is going to hold,” Ms. Kannokada told Buzzine in an exclusive interview. “It’s a matter of perseverance. Out here in L.A., everyone is trying to make it; people are competitive.”

 

As she makes her primetime television debut on March 31st, Ms. Kannokada is demonstrating that her risk in leaving a top-notch, well-paying consulting gig at McKinsey & Co. was well worth it. Indeed, with Rules of Engagement positively enhancing an already solid resume, Ms. Kannokada is not just the next big Indian American star--she has the full package to take over all of Hollywood by storm well before her thirtieth birthday (which is actually quite a ways away still)!

 

Of course, the humble side of her will not allow her to take credit for her successive progress without (rightfully) paying homage to her Indian American comrades, who she feels are making as many in-roads as she is in Hollywood.

 

“We’ve come a long way in the last year. Five years ago, when I was on the other side of the TV, you would seldom see Indian actors playing non stereotypical characters (such as taxi drivers or doctors or convenience store operators),” Ms. Kannokada said. “Things are already changing and changing quickly. I would say 95 percent of the roles I go out for are non-stereotypical Indian.”

 

Nonetheless, as you tune in to Rules of Engagement on your local CBS network on Thursday, March 31st at 9:00 p.m., pay close attention to Ms. Kannokada. In the very near future, Ms. Kannokada will be a whole lot more than a guest star on a primetime network sitcom featuring the legendary comedian, Mr. Spade.