KL-born Shiva in ‘Gotham’ leading female troop of assassins
If looks could kill: Shiva as Lelia leading the Sisters of the League. — Screencap from Fox’s GothamPETALING JAYA, March 30 — Born in Kuala Lumpur, Shiva Shobitha Kalaiselvan may not be a familiar name among the local TV and film fraternity.
The 34-year-old however is in the spotlight, having made her debut yesterday on Fox’s popular American crime drama Gotham, based on characters by DC Comics from the Batman franchise.
Her character Lelia, leads the Sisters of the League, an all-female group in the collective of assassins known as the League of Shadows. Lelia and the Sisters of the League. — Screencap from Fox’s Gotham
The recurring role introduced in episode 16 of the fourth season of the series titled “A Dark Knight: One of My Three Soups”, was not Shiva’s first major venture, having previously guest-starred in CW’s The Originals in the recurring role of Ivy.
She has also been involved in Nathan the Wise and A Midsummer Night’s Dream off-Broadway as well as a handful of New York theatre productions.
Based in New York, Shiva who was formerly in banking also performed in several local theatre productions while in Malaysia, said the experience was surreal, as she had always wanted to be on the show. Killer beauty. — Picture courtesy of shilakalaiselvan.com
Speaking to English daily The Star, Shiva said she was speecheless on what to call the experience as it was “more than happy or joyous”.
“You dream of opportunities like this in this business, and you have an idea of what it is going to be like when you get it.
“But it’s more than that. I couldn’t have imagined this experience,” she was quoted saying.
Shiva had shared a couple of photos and a short video on her Instagram account, one with the caption: “I have absolutely no words, just the hugest smile. Thank you for always thinking about me and and supporting me. I’m a lucky gal!”
KUALA LUMPUR: Klang Valley girl Shiva Shobitha Kalaiselvan, 34, has done the country proud, landing herself a role in popular American television series, Gotham.
The New York-based actress plays Lelia, a recurring character in the show, and made her debut yesterday in the episode A Dark Knight: One Of My Three Soups.
Lelia is the leader of the female contingent of the League of Shadows, who is very faithful to its teachings.
"I have absolutely no words, just the hugest smile. Thank you for always thinking about me and and supporting me. I'm a lucky gal!" said the actress in an Instagram post two days ago.
Klang Valley girl Shiva Shobitha Kalaiselvan, 34, has done the country proud, landing herself a role in popular American television series, Gotham. Pic by NSTP / source from Social Media
Shiva described her experience as surreal as she had always dreamed of playing a superhero or supervillain.
She got to meet most of the cast, and found everyone friendly and humble.
Her Instagram post garnered 17 comments and 170 likes.
"Congrats! What a fabulous role," said a Netizen identified only as Patrick.
"You're an inspiration to all Malaysians!" said Agnel.
"I'm so looking forward to see you in action," said Christo.
Shiva graduated with a degree in finance from Indiana University in 2006 and worked as an investment banker in Milwaukee and London.
She subsequently pursued a postgraduate course in acting at Columbia University, New York and produced two theatrical productions with her company Next In Line Productions.
In Malaysia, Shiva has appeared in theatre plays as 'After Juliet' and 'Malaysian Girls' in the Kuala Lumpur Performing Arts Centre (KLPaC).
PETALING JAYA: A Malaysian actress has landed a role on the popular American television series, 'Gotham'.
Kuala Lumpur-born Shiva Kalaiselvan (pic), who is now based in New York, has been cast as Lelia, a recurring character in the show.
She made her debut on March 29 in the episode 'A Dark Knight: One of my Three Soups'.
"I'm the leader of the female contingent of the League of Shadows. Rules and loyalty are big for her. She is someone that holds true to the teachings of the League and stands by them no matter what," Shiva, 34, said about her character in an e-mail interview.
The League of Shadows are a group of assassins featured on Gotham, a television series that tells the stories of several characters from the 'Batman' comic series.
Asked how she felt, Shiva said the experience was surreal, as she had always wanted to be on the show.
"I don't exactly know what I would call the feeling. It's more than happy or joyous. You dream of opportunities like this in this business, and you have an idea of what it is going to be like when you get it. But it's more than that. I couldn't have imagined this experience," she said.
Her experience on Gotham, she said, had been amazing.
"I did get to meet most of the cast - either through working on scenes with them or while we were getting our hair or makeup done. Everyone was AMAZING! Incredibly friendly and welcoming," Shiva said.
While in Malaysia, she appeared in several local theatre plays, including 'After Juliet', 'Indicinelive IV' and 'Malaysian Girls'.
