Meet Jaswant Dev Shrestha | Award-winning Actor & Emmy Winning Documentarian

We had the good fortune of connecting with Jaswant Dev Shrestha and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Jaswant Dev, how do you think about risk?
Taking risks is the most crucial factor for an artist. Taking risks took me from Nepal to Bollywood and ultimately brought me to Hollywood. If I
had not believed in myself and come to Hollywood, my childhood dream of
winning an Emmy would have been just a dream. If I had not taken the
plunge and figured out a way to produce the Festival Series, my dreams
of having my films on the Discovery channel and reaching millions of
people would have stayed as a dream.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work. What sets you apart?

I am an Actor, and what sets me apart from hundreds of amazing actors is
that I am in love with the Non-fiction world as well; hence I am also a
documentarian.

What you are most proud of or excited about?
As a documentarian, I am proud of my latest Docu-series called FESTIVALS
which was acquired by Discovery Channel Asia and earned me an EMMY Award
this year. Winning an Emmy has been one of my Childhood dreams. However,
as an actor, I still need to get that satisfaction. Hahaha

How did you get to where you are today professionally. Was it easy? If
not, how did you overcome the challenges?

Oh Boy! This is a super long, long story. But I will keep it brief. The
relentless effort of working every day without clocking hours is what
has gotten me this far. But, I still have a long way to go. It wasn’t
easy at all. I have been lucky to work in the film business hoping from
one department to the other regardless of where I live—my home country
Nepal, Bollywood in India, or now in Hollywood. The first challenge for
me in navigating Hollywood as an actor was the language, my strong
accent, and… the list goes on.

What are the lessons you’ve learned along the way?
I have learned to follow my heart. So, if you have taken the plunge into
the ocean of Hollywood, you should put all your energy into swimming so
you don’t drown.

What do you want the world to know about you or your brand and story?
I want the world to know that if we can dream, we must work for it to
fulfill it. I am a simple guy who loves creating art, and I don’t wait
for validation from others to tell stories that my heart wants to tell.
Storytelling is similar to what a poet or a painter would do.
We do it to satisfy our souls with a pure heart, and I believe if the
art is created by a pure heart, that will connect with the audience.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Suppose my friend or family visits from out of state for a week-long
trip. In that case, The first three days will take them to The Academy
Museum, Hike up to the Hollywood Sign, take pictures at Hollywood Walk
of fame, and rent a Bicycle on Venice beach, Malibu. Then, on the
remaining days, I would take them for a long drive and stay overnight at
the beautiful Danish village right here in California called SOLVANG.
Then, another day would stop over at Morro Bay.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I want to shout out to my family, who has always been supportive of what
I have wanted to do since I was 4 years old, aspiring to be an actor.
There are too many people to take names of who have helped and inspired
me. I want to thank everyone who has worked with me in Nepal, India, and
Hollywood and inspired me to be who I am today. One name that always
makes it to the number-one list is Bollywood Actor/Superstar Mithun
Chakraborty, I have never met him in person, but he is the reason why I
wanted to be an Actor at that young age. I enjoy waking up every morning
as an artist, and I thank him for that.

Website: www.jaswantdevshrestha.com

Facebook: @jaswantdevshrestha

Apple TV: https://apple.co/3kFfH2J

Tubi: https://bit.ly/3Htfo3P