Meet Sagar Surana

Today we’d like to introduce you to Sagar Surana.

Hi Sagar, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I grew up in a smaller town called Indore in India. I went to a good school and grew up with a very loving family. I’m still extremely close to some of my childhood friends. Throughout my formative years and my time in India, I was super involved in creative avenues including theatre, writing and art. It was what I felt I was good at and where I felt most safe. At one point, I had an extremely low phase in my life and became super uninterested in performing and any form of expression altogether. When I turned eighteen, I followed convention and decided to study computer science and moved to Seattle all by myself. Eventually, I took myself back to theatre and acted in a play called ‘Stories From The Payphone with some inspiring students at the Undergraduate Theatre Society at the University of Washington. I think that experience snowballed into a very long journey of self-discovery. It gave me a sense of community and eventually lead me to acting in my first feature, multiple shorts and collaborating with some really cool creatives over time. And now here I am talking to you!

I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
I’m only a few years into this industry and it’s definitely not been easy trying to find my place. I moved to the US alone and built a whole new life here. Finding new friends and assimilating into an entirely foreign culture is already tough. On top of that, I decided to transition from tech into this industry which has, of course, been a struggle. But I think it is these previous experiences/struggles and my relationship with and reflection on them, that give me a lot of fodder for my art and what sets me apart. Fortunately, I had a job in hand which allowed me to up and move to LA overnight but I had no idea what to do once I landed here. At the time, I knew exactly zero people in the movie industry. Although it has been a short journey that has seen some rejections and stereotyping, it has been one abundant with people who’ve supported me, who have become my navigators and guides, and such encouraging friends who have been extremely resourceful when I needed help. A lesson I’ve learnt is to support your tribe and use whatever access you have to uplift talented and deserving people around you always.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I’m an actor but I’ve also written poems and been a software engineer in the past. A project that I would love to mention is`Stories From The Payphone` which was a semi-biographical play I did that I am incredibly proud of! I got to work with and learn from some extremely talented and skilled people. I got to play Burhan, the son of a recently deported undocumented immigrant single mother. Playing him allowed me to sit inside some extremely foreign experiences and changed my perspective toward acting. I’m hoping I get to do more projects like that one in the future. This year, next for me is a heartwarming short film, `Alfonso & Max`, about Alfonso, a father, teaching his son, Max played by me, to drive which I’m excited to see. I also have a sci-fi feature called `The House` coming this year where I play Jason, a problematic high school student with a knack for comedy and another horror short I will be shooting for soon.

Over the next few years, I plan to be in a place where I have the opportunity to play a varied array of characters and be a part of stories I truly believe in. Let’s hope that happens!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://m.imdb.com/name/nm13331694/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sagarssurana/ 

Image Credits
Donovan Cole Srashti Jain