A working life, in three acts.
She was five when she learned that a good story could re-arrange a room. Now she makes them for a living.
Anya Kaur began on stage in Bombay at nine, crossed to Los Angeles at twenty, and has spent the decade since moving between the two. Her work — on film, in print, and most recently in ceramics — is held together by a single thread: attention.
The first decade was theatre — Bombay, then a year at LAMDA, then back to Bombay because the rooms there asked harder questions. The second decade has been mostly film, and increasingly mostly the kind of film that takes a year to shoot and another year to release.
Between projects she writes — short essays, the occasional short story, and a monthly letter to about three thousand people who have, over the years, asked. She also throws clay; the kiln is in Jaipur, the wheel is wherever she happens to be.
“I do not think of a camera as an audience. I think of it as a witness.”
A working chronology
- 2015First professional theatre run — Prithvi, Bombay.
- 2017LAMDA, one year. Returns to India for The Long Walk.
- 2019Cannes Critics' Week premiere — Paper House.
- 2021Founds her ceramics practice in Jaipur.
- 2023Vogue India cover — "The Quiet Force".
- 2024Penguin publishes Margin Notes.
- 2026The Longest Winter — limited series, lead role.
Three modes
On screen
Long-form film and limited series. Selective; one or two a year. Currently filming a six-episode series in Rajasthan.
On the page
Essays, short fiction, the occasional cover interview. A monthly letter, to anyone who asks.
At the wheel
Functional and sculptural ceramic work, fired at her studio in Jaipur. Two exhibitions, a few private commissions.