Navi Rawat A piece of Orange Country-in Nepal | Feature

ANUP PRAKASH

A rising Hollywood star, Navi Rawat is known to many of us as the troubled Theresa Diaz from the hit television series, The OC, WAVE caught her amidst sightseeing in Kathmandu -- trying to pronounce names of places and her fingers going trigger-happy -- for an exclusive interview to talk about her career, future plans and everything in between.

Unlike her character Theresa, Navi is extremely positive, warm and chatty. Born to an Indian father and German mother, she grew up in Malibu and initially harbored a desire to become a writer. Having dabbled in acting while in high school, she joined the New York University's Tisch School of Arts only because she loved New York. "But as time passed I enjoyed acting and became more committed to it." So much so that she confesses to being happiest when acting and feels rewarded to be in front of the camera these days.

Her career graph began in 2002 with a role in the hit Fox series 24 as Melanie. Later that same year, she was on the big screen in the crime drama Thought Crimes and sci-fi movie House of Sand and Fog.

Since then, there has been no looking back for the lively actress who bagged roles in movies such as Feast (a Project Greenlight production) and Loveless in Los Angeles amongst others.

As a child, Navi had to deal with her exotic looks – it made her different, hence, she felt out of place and was often teased. Today, it's a different story. "Back then, it was difficult to cope with it but it's turned out to be beneficial for my career as it opened up new windows," she explains. "I might not be suited for conventional 'blond hair blue eyed girl next-door' roles but Hollywood is constantly growing and there are many other roles out there," she says.

She played a Hispanic girl in The OC and is currently playing Amita Ramanujan, a FBI consultant of Indian origin in CBS drama series Numb3rs.

How much of Navi is there in these characters she portrays? "Not a lot," she says, "In many ways I felt bad for Theresa, she was always in some kind of trouble," she explains. "But I'm aware that there are many girls in a similar position and I do put in an effort to raise awareness about issues such as teen pregnancy."

Personally attracted to more physical roles like the one she plays in Thought Crimes, Navi picks her experience of acting with Sir Ben Kingsley as the best one yet. "I played his daughter in House of Sand and Fog and I got to learn so much from him," she confesses.

Navi is quick to note that Hollywood isn't all that glamourous as it seems from the outside. "It gets monotonous after a while but it's up to the actor as the profession isn't easy and competition is tough." She further reveals, "To be successful one has to be talented, intelligent and interesting to bring that into their work."

As for Nepal, she is definite that she will come back again. She feels the people here have a certain energy which she finds intriguing. "I had heard wonderful things about Nepal but it exceeded my expectations," says Navi, who loves lapsi and the temples around the Valley.

Being an actress is all about versatility and talent, and having both in abundance, Navi is surely going places. Who knows, we may soon see her rocking it out in Bollywood as well. In her own words, she enlightens: "Never miss opportunities, if life extends a hand forward, take it."