Purab Kohli: I shifted to London because I wanted to explore and get a step closer to Hollywood

Actor Purab Kohli recently made his big-budget Hollywood debut, and the actor is relieved that his decision to relocate to London, UK, in order to find a path to the West is finally paying off.

“I wanted to explore the West after starring in the series, Sense8, by The Wachowskis (filmmaker Wachowskis sisters, Lana and Lilly). That’s how my mindset shifted, looking at it as an opportunity since Indian actors are getting cast in good shows and good films abroad,” Kohli tells us.

He continues, “That’s why I shifted to London… The shift here was to try and increase visibility or (taking) one step closer to Hollywood, getting myself an agent, networking with casting directors, as an actor who has a relatively successful career in India but is wanting to explore the West.”

In fact, Kohli has walked into the big league of Hollywood with his role in Lana Wachowski’s The Matrix Resurrections, co-starring Keanu Reeves, Carrie-Anne Moss and Priyanka Chopra Jonas.

Ask him then why London, instead of Los Angeles, and the 42-year-old explains, “Moving into the States would be too much because I work a lot in India as well. So, this is a halfway point, where I can fly down to India for work, and to the West as well.”

Looking back at shooting the film in Berlin amid the pandemic, the actor describes it as a “big engine working” through a complicated route. “I have worked with Lana and her team before, but managing the size of the film as well as the crew, with such large sets built for the movie, while taking care of all the protocols and keeping everyone in the bubble was something else,” he expresses.

For Kohli, the move was also in sync with the growing exchange of talent, as well as the right shift in the narrative. He cites an example of actor Priyanka Chopra Jonas, saying “she has such a strong as well as authentic role in a franchise like The Matrix, which is such a big deal”.

“Even though, there was always the presence of Indian talent, from Om Puri ji to Irrfan Khan, cinema, now, is crossing all barriers and getting more diverse. Also, I think, Indians are such a large number of people in the world, so we have to be represented in every kind of entertainment,” he says, adding, “In addition to this, I also dubbed for latest part of The Matrix in Hindi, which shows that there is large audience as well, which plays a big role in all the decisions”.