![]() ![]() In the first couple of years, Richard was a background artist. Every day was different and exciting,” he adds. I was finally living in the city of my dreams. I was even uncomfortable at times but it was like an adventure. “Initially I did live in cheap apartments and it took me a while to get an AC or a geyser at home. He also signed up with an acting agency to score auditions.Ī nervous Richard even overcame the daunting task of moving cities in India with ease. Once in India, Richard took up various jobs like teaching music and doing voice dubbing to sustain himself. I followed that for a couple of years till I found the right opportunities,” says Richard. So, I opted for private tutoring and taught for six months to save enough for a trip to India for the other six months of the year. On international meets, our team would be the only one with day time jobs. Back then our government did not fund the artists. “It was extraordinarily difficult to make money through art in America. So why not quit teaching and do performances full time? Part of the reason Richard wanted to shift continents was to live differently. While he certainly enjoyed teaching and performance gigs, he did not want to continue with this lifestyle. It is a country with inner peace and outer chaos,” says Richard. I just couldn’t get enough of it, so I kept returning as a tourist. Like every foreigner, I went on a meditation retreat to Dharamshala, explored the capital and visited the city that houses one of the seven wonders of the world. ![]() Now you can imagine the warmth and love that I must have experienced. “My trip was stretched to over three months. In 1991, he visited India for the first time as a tourist and it was instant love. ![]() It was his desire to live in India at some point that drew him to Indian cinema. From being part of local singing groups to representing the US at international dance meets, Richard’s inclination towards art escalated over the years.Īcting, however, was never on the cards. He was a teacher by day and a performing artist at night. After completing my studies I started teaching maths and science in middle school in San Francisco and it went on for nearly 18 years,” says Richard. “I was drawn to the Indian customs and traditions while studying but never got a chance to visit India. His course in philosophy and spiritualism had a chapter on India’s yoga and meditation culture. Richard’s curiosity for India, a country 8,000 miles away from his home, began during graduation. 50 Films, 3 Decades, 2 Continents Richard Klein in an ad He shares what it’s like to move continents to feel at home, adapt a new culture and find work as an outsider. He started as a dubbing and junior artist and soon bagged roles of officer, businessmen, scientist, doctor, chef and spy. You may have seen Richard in movies such as Dear Zindagi (2016), Karwan (2018), Thugs of Hindustan (2018), Kesari (2019), and more recently, Sardar Uddham (2021) and Sardar ka Grandson (2021).īorn and raised in California, Richard moved to India in 2010. More recently, Kim Bodnia, a Danish actor, in Delhi Belly (2011). Usually decked up in black suits, they may not always get meaty roles and yet their presence leaves an imprint, albeit in a comical way such as Bob Cristo and Tom Alter from the 70s and 80s. The 45-year-old is from the league of ‘firangi’ actors who are often seen in Indian movies with typical roles such as that of an officer, businessmen or the mafia. “Even after 10 years in the industry, I dislike insulting my co-workers based on race, fully realising it is only acting,” Richard tells The Better India. The American-born actor then easily brushed aside any hard feelings by joking about how he isn’t even British. He then whipped the poor street urchin and hauled endless curses.īut as soon as the director yelled “Cut”, Richard apologised to his co-actor. “H ow dare you step in front of my carriage,” blurted an ‘evil British officer’ in a television series played by Richard Klein. ![]()
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