New Delhi: Andrea Kevichusa is India’s emerging star, and arguably the only good story that’s happen out of Anek. She is a Naga model who shattered the glass ceiling and cracked into Bollywood’s specialised business.
View this post on Instagram
At the age of 15, Kevichusa, a Kohima native, had no idea what fashion models were. But, as luck would have it, at the age of 16, she was discovered by Anima Creative Management. She eventually abandoned her ambition of becoming a doctor in favour of pursuing a career in the entertainment industry. Her sacrifice paid off in 2022.
“After receiving the script, I was really thrilled to realise that my part in the film was one that I could explore extensively, skill-wise,” she said in an interview with The Morung Express. She’s an independent character that symbolises an empowered strong female lead, and I’m thrilled to have had the opportunity to play her.”
View this post on Instagram
Kevichusa was born and raised in Kohima, the youngest of five girls. Her mother is an Ao, while her father is an Angami.
“The directors of my agency were gracious enough to come all the way to Kohima from Mumbai to meet my family and I and run us through how the industry usually functioned,” she recalled of her modelling days. Despite my strong desire to pursue medical education, I decided to give it a try after a few months, when I became 16.”
View this post on Instagram
She was still in school at the time, so she split her time between studies and shooting. “I would fly to Mumbai every summer and winter vacation or whenever I could afford to miss lectures,” she recalls, “and would frequently find myself studying for examinations in-flight.” Kevichusa travelled to Mumbai at the age of 18 to try her luck and was eventually cast in the film Anek.
View this post on Instagram
She was initially hesitant about taking the role because it required boxing, but after much thought, she decided to go for it. “I didn’t think I was ready to take that huge a step in my life yet,” she says, “but after much debate and back-and-forth with my parents, I realised the magnitude of the chance I was being given and decided to take it.” And it’s a good thing she did!
