Ambika Mod was born on October 2, 1995. She is the daughter of Indian immigrants. Her mother came to the UK as a child and her father moved when he was 20. Ambika completed her BA in English from St Mary’s College, Durham.
At first, she combined work as an assistant with after-hours comedy performances. She took acting lessons. Her career took off when she made her small screen debut in 2022. In the series “It’s Going to Hurt” alongside Ben Whishaw She played the supporting role of aspiring doctor Shruti Acharya.
Ambika Mod delighted the audience and critics with her performance in the British production. For her role, Shruti won the Broadcasting Press Guild Award for Best Actress.
The general public got to know Ambika Mod thanks to her latest role. In the series “One Day” she played the main character – Emma Morley. It is an adaptation of the best-selling novel by David Nicholls. The title has recently been added to Netflix’s offer. At Mod’s side we watch the famous from “White Lotus” Leo Woodall.
“One Day” tells the story of Emma Morley and Dexter Mayhew, who on July 15, 1988 – the last day of high school – talk to each other for the first time. The next morning they go their separate ways. But where will they be on this one ordinary day in a year, in two years, and in every year thereafter? In each episode, Dex and Em, who are a year older, meet on this day. They grow and change, go through life together and separately, experience happiness and heartbreak. “One Day” is a love story spanning two decades based on the world bestseller by David Nicholls – we read in the official Netflix description.
In an interview for the BBC, Ambika Mod admitted that she was exhausted after appearing in “It’s Going to Hurt”. “It was a very overwhelming experience for me,” she said. “No one really prepares you for this moment (…)” – she added.
When the moment came to choose the actress to play Emma Morley in “One Day”, she admitted that she didn’t see herself playing this type of character. “Honestly, I just didn’t see myself in a romantic role,” she said.
The series and Ambika’s performance were positively received by viewers and critics. The role turned out to be a breakthrough in the young actress’s career. Chitra Ramaswamy of The Guardian praised Mod’s role, calling it a “revelation”, adding that “it’s hard to believe this is her first starring role”.
There was controversy surrounding the actress’s skin color. She played the main character in the 2011 film Anne Hathaway. Ambika Mod hopes that her appearance on the series will “open people’s minds”, stating that she is “aware of how important this will be to many people, especially young women of the same skin color, especially from South Asia”, we read on BBC News .
“One Day” also became the most watched series around the world.
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