Every emerging actor dreams of seeing his or her face on television someday. Some of them have to wait for a long time while others get a break in the early days of their career.
Identical twins Ved and Vrund Rao did not have to wait at all.
“One of my friends sent me the audition ad looking for identical twins of Indian origin. It sounded like the perfect opportunity for my boys and I asked them if they want to try their hand at acting," their father, Mehul Rao, explains.
Despite no formal training in acting or drama they are now about to make their debut as lead roles in the new tv series 'The Unlisted'.
“It' a science fiction story based on today’s society," the twins told SBS Gujarati.
Source: The Unlisted/ABC
"The 12-year-old identical twins discover that the world’s wealthiest individuals have created a secret society that plans to impose global control over the world’s youth".
While Vrund was interested in drama at school, Ved is more interested in sports. So they had to make a choice because both of them had to do it or neither of them would get the role.
As a parent, Mehul says he was worried about their future, and if they missed out on school, how would it affect them going forward.
When I came across this advertisement, I thought my sons were a perfect match according to show’s requirement.
Source: Supplied
From the very beginning, the boys showed talent and confidence.
"They didn't go to any acting school, but they did take part in many cultural activities in religious and community groups, such as BAPS and Kallol," their father explains.
"As they regularly participated in dance, drama, skit and quiz competitions, I was confident about their ability to succeed in this show."
Balancing schoolwork and shooting for the show
Ved and Vrund are in Year 10 at the Patrician Brothers Blacktown School in Sydney and in order to keep up with their schoolwork, father Mehul says they boys would follow a strict timetable. They prepared their scripts on weekdays and concentrated on their school study during the weekend with the help of a home tutor provided by the show's producers.
"During the filming of the series, they had some very long days, starting at 4:30 am, and some days they would finish late at 11:30 pm," he says.
"Initially it was very challenging for us to manage between studies and acting, especially during the long working days, but we got used to it as the show progressed".
Source: Supplied
Both brothers worked for almost 10 to12 hours a day during the weekdays and allocated almost the same amount of time for their study on the weekends. They say they learnt effective time management skills during the production of the show and advise other passionate youngsters to develop the same skillset if they want to conquer the challenging field of performing arts.
The whole process of the show lasted around a year, which comprised of six months of training and preparation and four months of shooting the show.
Ved and Vrund were supported by their parents, their sister and their friends during their exciting journey.
"Our friends have seen the first episode of the show and they are very impressed with our acting," they say.
What's next
The brothers have not decided anything about their next project but they both love acting and say they're ready to take any opportunity that comes their way in the future.
'The Unlisted' screens from 15th September on the ABC.
