We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Havish Ravipati a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Havish, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today What’s been the most meaningful project you’ve worked on?

The most meaningful? Throughout my acting career, I have done so many that it is hard to choose!

However, one production that comes to mind when I think of meaningful impact would be the 2021 production I performed in for Bay Area Drama Company called Our Stories. It was a collection of eight short plays about South Asians living in America. The short plays touched on relevant topics such as interracial marriage, going against cultural traditions, mental illness, LGBT issues, and being pressured to marry. Originally scheduled to be performed in March 2020 under the title of Afsaaney, it got cancelled a week before the show’s opening. While we understood the urgent situation of the then-recent emergency of the COVID-19 pandemic, we were heartbroken and hoped we could stage the show again someday.

Luckily in Summer of 2021, after Covid vaccines were given out, our artistic director announced that we would stage the play for real that December. I’m happy to say that in December 2021, Afsaaney, now re-titled to Our Stories, was finally staged! We did four shows, which were nearly sold out, and audiences loved the play.

Havish, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I have always been a creative individual ever since I was a kid. I began illustrating pictures of dinosaurs, animals, and mythical monsters. Then, I turned to watching and examining movies. This soon turned into exploring the genres of classic rock, heavy metal, and hip-hop. I was always creating things and exploring what I could do as an artist, which has continued into my acting career.

When I was in college, I wasn’t sure of what I wanted to look into as my full-time career goal, so remembering that I love movies and creating, I decided to study acting. I took my first classes at De Anza College, where I had so much fun doing acting exercises with my classmates and decided to take it further. Twenty years later, I’ve appeared in everything from feature films to stage plays, commercials, voiceovers, and more.

My dry sense of humor, abstract view of the world, surreal/bizarre imagery, and a feeling of a character trying to belong make me unique from other artists. Ever since I was a kid, I felt like an outsider trying to fit in, and many of my characters evoke this archetype. I specialize in stories with thriller/horror stylings and larger-than-life stories with matching larger-than-life characters becoming unlikely heroes.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

Reaching out to an audience and finding a connection with them. I’ve accomplished this before through the mediums of live theatre and film.

I often hear the unfortunate phrase that artists should stay in their “lane” regarding politics, social commentary, and regular opinions, and I say absolutely not! We, as artists, are SUPPOSED to be knowledgeable about the world around us, and it helps us create better art and tell a story that the audience can relate to. This is why I do what I do, as I like to share my unique personality and connect it with those out there who can relate to my unique brand of storytelling.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

Early in my career (around 2007-08), I did a stage play at San Jose State University, which was a collection of plays by Shel Silverstein, albeit with a more mature subject matter. I appeared in two of the short plays, which got a great response from the audience. I remember afterward, in the lobby, an audience member told me I did a great job and how nice it was to see someone from my background (i.e., Indian/South Asian) doing a play like this that didn’t rely on tired stereotypes or have me doing an accent. She asked to shake my hand and it made me feel so appreciated!

Fifteen years later, I was attending a Hindu religious gathering, and I went to a private meeting afterward where we could meet with the visiting religious leader from India. I arrived inside, and the leader asked what each of us did, so I told him I was an actor. He asked me what I’d been in, and everyone in the room was surprised as it’s not a conventional profession in our community. Then suddenly, I heard a familiar voice and it was my old Hindu Sunday school teacher from elementary school. Not only was this a special moment to share my creative pursuits, but I also got to reconnect with a respected individual from my past life and enjoy a moment of community within.

It’s this feeling of togetherness and bringing people together that makes me continue my creative pursuits.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.havish-ravipati.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/havishravipatiactor/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/havish.ravipati/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/havish-ravipati-7364651b/
• Twitter: @HavishR
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheMrHavish
• Other: My IMDB Profile: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1845892/ Linktree: https://linktr.ee/HavishRavipati

Image Credits
Personal Headshot by Sándor Helderman. Photo #3 – Cisco commercial with yellow background by Strange Media Photo #5 – of me carrying a woman from the short film, Blessed Be. Filmed by Prowess Productions and photo credit by Ethan Anonas.