We were lucky to catch up with Leah Khambata recently and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Leah thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. The first dollar you earn is always exciting – it’s like the start of a new chapter and so we’d love to hear about the first time you sold or generated revenue from your creative work?

The first time I ever earned as a Singer-songwriter was when I sang at The Blue Frog – a concert venue in Bombay – during my summer break from college. It was the first time I performed a full solo show (was incredibly nervous!) and made me feel like my songs had a bigger purpose; they were not just for me anymore. It also felt really empowering to actually be paid to sing words I had written!

But I think the first time I was paid as an Actor felt even more exhilarating to me because I felt like I was proving to myself that I could actually do it. Ever since I was a child, I had wanted to be an Actor, but I was scared in a way to put all my eggs in one basket so I majored in Film Studies instead and then worked in Film Production. It wasn’t until the OTT boom that I actually decided to pursue Acting as a career and give it all I’ve got. I got cast in a short film called “Skip School” and I remember when I did the role and got the envelope with the payment after, it really made me smile because up until then I had sort of doubted my choice – was this just a hobby or something I could actually prove to myself and the world I could do? And with that one film, it felt like the world was telling me that I had what it took. Of course I still doubt myself, every actor does, but when you get paid for doing something you love with your whole heart, it really does feel like you’re onto something.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I’m a Parsi* actress/singer-songwriter from Bombay who always looks for ways to combine both my passions – Film and Music – and has worked across India, NYC, LA and London. I love acting in multiple accents and languages and you may have seen me in Lionsgate Play’s series, “Feels Like Home”, Sony Liv’s, “Rocket Boys,” Amazon Prime’s “Guilty Minds” or Jio Studios’ film, “Khwaabon Ka Jhamela.”

I’ve always wanted to be an actress ever since I was a little girl, more specifically, after watching the movie “Titanic”. It just evoked something in me and I knew right then that I wanted to work in the film industry. Growing up, I acted in several musicals, played the guitar and piano, and started composing my own music. I then attended Wesleyan University where I double majored in Film Studies and Psychology. Alongside, I acted in several plays and short films and performed my music at several concert venues. I then worked in Film Production in NYC after which I got my MBA from Cornell, trained in Acting at The Royal Central School of Speech and Drama in London and wrote/produced/acted in the short film “(t)here” which had its NYC Premiere at HBO’s South Asian Film Festival.

As a songwriter, I’m represented by Sony Music Publishing, two of my music videos premiered on VH1 India and I won Hungama’s Artist Aloud’s Indian Independent Music Award for Best Lyricist in 2022. You can find my originals on Spotify/Apple (I have a new song releasing soon too! It’s called “Closing the Browser on You”). I would describe my music as self-reflective and healing, straight from the heart :) Of course I like songs that have a catchy melody, but I try to make ones that will also raise people’s vibrations in a way – that will strike a chord within them to be more in tune with themselves and in turn attract higher vibrations around them. For both film and music, I want to create and be in projects that will really remain with you and perhaps change the way you see things around you.

*Parsi refers to a Zoroastrian Persian Indian community now less than 80,000 worldwide. Fun Fact: Freddie Mercury from Queen was actually Parsi!

What can society do to ensure an environment that’s helpful to artists and creatives?

I think it’s all about keeping an open mind and encouraging creativity in all aspects of life. I always tell my friends that no matter which industry you’re in, everyone should take an Improv class at least once in their lives because it really opens you up and makes you think on your feet, which is applicable to any job.

Also, judge things for yourself and not solely based on what other people are saying about it. For example, there are often times a movie has a low Rotten Tomatoes or IMDb score so my friends don’t want to see it, but I’ll always read up about it on my own or watch the trailer and see if it evokes something in me/looks interesting and then no matter the score, I’ll still watch it. There are so many amazing filmmakers who don’t get the credit they deserve simply because they don’t have as high of a marketing budget and not enough people are being exposed to their work. So even if no one’s talking about a film, if you somehow come across it and are curious, watch it regardless!

And go see that Off Off Broadway play your friend is in! They’ve spent days and months tirelessly working on it and each seat filled propels them forward:)

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can provide some insight – you never know who might benefit from the enlightenment.

Whenever I tell people I’m an Actor, more often than not the first question they ask is “Oh what would I have seen you in?” or “Are you in anything right now?” and internally I immediately sort of shut down because in that moment, I feel not good enough and like I need to say something to them to prove I’m worthy of being called an actor. What many don’t realize about the profession, is that the job is mainly auditioning and when you get the part, that’s absolutely fantastic but your day in and day out is not glamorous at all. It’s a lot of working on your craft/scripts yourself, a lot of rejection, a lot of stressing out about finding a reader to read an audition with you at a moment’s notice and a lot of feeling like you can’t commit to any plan more than a week out because you never know if you may suddenly get cast in something and have to drop everything you planned. I used to have a 9-5 desk job when I worked in Media planning and I often think about that time fondly when I feel like I lack any kind of structure in my life, but then I remember why I’m doing this – it’s because nothing makes me feel more alive, more “me”, than when I get to empathize and jump into different people’s shoes. Ironic I know haha but it’s that ability to get to play many different kinds of people and jobs within those characters that excites me. I am never just one thing; I get to experience so many shades of what it means to be a human in this world.

To the non-creatives, it may seem like we have a lot of down-time, but know we’re driving ourselves crazy every minute of it, essentially interviewing for a job with no stability pretty much every day of our lives lol, so if we seem too unstructured and a bit all over the place, this is why haha.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.LeahKhambata.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/leahkhambata/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Leahkhambata
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@LeahKhambata
• Other: Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/5p3Ebt3ZAbGzm2Bh6CyNw5?si=KVKmGxheQqmXiwp5uX3kmQ&nd=1&dlsi=4d98a4c91ff54e3f