Quick Facts
AquariusBiography
Kira Narayanan is an Indian film and theatre actress, musician and TV personality. She is best known for playing the role of Princess Jasmine in Disney and BookMyShow's Aladdin the Musical in India.
Personal life
Kira (the daughter of an IT professional Father and Teacher Mother) grew up in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. She learned Carnatic Music and Bharatanatyam in her childhood (later going on to complete her Arangetram), and enjoyed Art and playing Tennis.With an affinity for Music and Dance from a young age, Kira found her calling as an Actress at the age of 13, when she was cast as Rizzo in her school's musical Grease. She pursued acting in school with an A-Level in Drama and Theatre Studies, and would eventually rack up over 12 Theatre credits across her years in School and University.
Kira went on to read BSc Psychology at University College London, concurrently earning her Diploma in Acting for Film from the New York Film Academy (New York) and her membership at the National Youth Theatre of Great Britain (London).
Career
Stage
Kira is most widely known across India for playing the role of Princess Jasmine in the stage Musical version of the Disney film Aladdin, created by Disney India and produced by ticketing giant BookMyShow. She was one of just 20 actors that were selected by Tess Joseph, who auditioned over 6000 hopefuls across India and abroad.
Kira's live singing in the show earned her wide praise from audiences, and her performance was critically acclaimed for being a punchy, millennial and captivating portrayal of the Disney Princess everyone knows and loves.
In 2019, Kira stepped into the iconic shoes of Audrey Hepburn and Julie Andrews to play role of Eliza Doolittle in Rael Padamsee's My Fair Lady the Musical.
Television
Kira debuted as an English Television Sports Anchor for the Vivo Pro Kabaddi league on Star Sports, appearing alongside sports analysts RK and Suhail on KBD Live. She's since moved on to Nerolac Cricket Live as well, hosted by Mayanti Langer.
Web Series
In the 2019 web series Minus One, Kira was seen playing the widely appreciated character of Devika/Lavanya opposite Indian web stars Aisha Ahmed and Ayush Mehra. She lent her voice for the song used in the series titled "Tera Saath Hai."
Film
Kira made her film debut as Sri Devi (a classical dancer) in the 2018 Tamil Picture Koothan, where she starred alongside Kollywood greats Urvashi, Bhagyaraj and Manobala. She was praised in the media for her accurate and moving embodiment of a Bharatanatyam Dancer.
Teaching
Before becoming an Actor, Kira worked briefly in Consulting and as a Supply Teacher for an International School in Kuala Lumpur. Finding fulfilment in teaching, Kira became a Freelance Instructor for a time, running confidence and personality building workshops based on Physical and Devised Theatre for kids in Malaysia.
Advertising
Kira has also worked as a model for Textile and Jewellery Brands in India.
Work & Filmography
Plays/Musicals
| Year | Show | Role | Director | Producer | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | Aladdin the Musical (India) | Princess Jasmine | Shruti Sharma | BookMyShow/Disney India | Played in Mumbai (NCPA) & Delhi (JLN Stadium) | |
| 2019 | My Fair Lady | Eliza Doolittle | Karla Singh | ACE Productions | NCPA (Mumbai) |
Films
| Year | Title | Role | Director | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | Koothan | Sri Devi | Venky AL | Dance Themed Film |
Web Series
| Year | Title | Role | Director | Producer | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | Minus One | Devika/Lavanya | Shubham Yogi | Just Human Things/Qyuki/POPxo | A romantic comedy about exes living together. |
Television
| Year | Show | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | KBD Live | Anchor | English Anchor for the live pre/post shows of Vivo Pro Kabaddi |
| 2019 | Total KBD Raid On | Anchor | English Anchor for the Vivo Pro Kabaddi recap show |
| 2019 | Nerolac Cricket Live | Reporter | English Reporter for the live Cricket shows |