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Ambika Mod

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Ambika Mod
Born
Ambika Bhakti Mod

(1995-10-02) 2 October 1995 (age 29)
Hatfield, Hertfordshire, England
Alma materSt Mary's College, Durham (BA)
Occupation(s)Actress, comedian, writer
Years active2019–present

Ambika Bhakti Mod (/ˈʌmbɪkə ˈbʌkti ˈmoʊd/; born 2 October 1995)[1][2] is a British actress, comedian, and writer. She is best known for her roles in the BBC drama series This Is Going to Hurt (2022) and the Netflix miniseries One Day (2024).

Early life and education

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Mod grew up in Potters Bar, Hertfordshire.[3] She is the daughter of Indian immigrants; her mother arrived in the UK as a child, and her father in his 20s.[4] Mod attended Dame Alice Owen's School.[5] She graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in English Studies from St Mary's College, Durham.[6]

Early in her career, Mod worked as a personal assistant at Condé Nast as her day job while doing comedy at night.[4][7] She studied acting at Theatrix Performing Arts of St Albans, based at the Abbey Theatre, St Albans. At Durham, she did sketch comedy through the university's Revue,[8] performing with Tom Harper at the 2015 Edinburgh Fringe Festival and serving as the troupe's president in 2017.[9] She formed a duo, Megan from HR, with Andrew Shires.[10][11] She performs regularly at improvised comedy theatre The Free Association in London.[12]

Career

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Following a series of short films, Fair Bnb, Granddaughter, The Sacrifice (aka Leila Margot) and Pet Name,[13] Mod appeared as a struggling junior doctor alongside Ben Whishaw in Adam Kay's medical drama This Is Going to Hurt (2022), based on his memoir of the same name.[14] The series earned critical acclaim.[15] The Hollywood Reporter’s Daniel Fienberg praised Mod as the highlight among the "regular female characters" and added that she made "Shruti's earnest fragility into the show's true heart"; however, he also acknowledged that her character is used more as a catalyst for Kay's actions.[16] For her performance, Mod was chosen for the 2022 BAFTA Breakthrough cohort and received the Broadcasting Press Guild Award for Best Actress.[17][18] Through the programme for the former, Mod met Emma Thompson who became her mentor.[19]

In 2024, Mod played Emma Morley in Netflix's One Day, based on David Nicholls' novel of the same name.[20] It tells the story of two young people who meet annually for 14 years following a one-night stand. Mod initially declined the part due to the intense nature of her role in This Is Going to Hurt forming doubts about her ability to play a romantic lead.[21] Reflecting on her original decision, she said, "I think part of the reason why I just didn't see myself playing that part was because insidiously and implicitly, that's a message that I’ve been fed my entire life—that people who look like me aren't romantic leads, that people who look like me aren't the people who the male romantic lead will fall in love with".[22] Her performance received critical acclaim and the role proved to be a major breakthrough in her career.[23][24] One Day was the most-watched Netflix series globally during the week of February 12, with 9.9 million views.[25] Writing for The Guardian, Chitra Ramaswamy commended Mod as a "revelation", and added that, "It is hard to believe this is her first lead role".[26] Whilst discussing her character's alteration in ethnicity from the novel and the film adaptation, she expressed her hope that it would "open people's minds a little bit", and said she was "aware how significant it will be to a lot of people, especially young women of colour, young South Asian women in particular".[27]

Mod will appear in the Disney+ thriller series Playdate and in Sacrifice, an action adventure comedy directed and co-written by Romain Gavras.[28][29]

Media image

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In 2024, she was selected for the Forbes 30 Under 30 - Europe - Entertainment list, for her advocacy for industry representation as well as her performances in This Is Going to Hurt and One Day.[30] The Sunday Times named Mod as one of the 25 most inspiring people aged 30 and under in the UK and Ireland.[31] In late 2024, Mod was on Time Magazine's annual list of 100 emerging leaders shaping the future. Mindy Kaling wrote: "it feels like there’s nothing to make you sit up, lean forward, and say, 'Wow, I’ve never seen that before.' But that’s exactly how I felt when I saw Ambika Mod in [...] One Day.[32] Mod was named one of Harper's Bazaar UK 2004 Women of the Year, and was named their Breakthrough of the Year.[33][34] In November 2024, Mod was received one of British GQ's Man of the Year awards.[35]

Filmography

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Key
† Denotes films that have not yet been released

Film

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Year Title Role Notes Ref.
2025 Black Bag † Angela Childs Post-production [36]
TBA Sacrifice † Katie Post-production [37]

Television

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Year Title Role Notes Ref.
2019 The Mash Report Sarah / Average Young Person Series 4, Episode 6
2020 The B@it Samantha Episode: "Ending other people's relationships"
2021 Trying Usher Series 2, Episode 8: "I'm Scared"
2022 This Is Going to Hurt Shruti Acharya Main role. Miniseries; Episodes 1-7 [38]
Martin Fishback Samah Television special [39]
I Hate Suzie Una Finch Series 2, Episodes 1&3 [40]
2024 One Day Emma Morley Main role. Miniseries; Episodes 1-14 [41]
TBA Playdate Selma Desai Post-production. Main role. Miniseries; Episodes 1-5 [42]

Stage

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Year Title Role Venue Ref.
2015 Cirque du Silly Self Edinburgh Fringe Festival [43]
2019 Children of the Quorn Self Edinburgh Fringe Festival [44]
2024 3 Self Edinburgh Fringe Festival [45]
White Rabbit Red Rabbit Self @sohoplace [46]

Audio

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Year Title Role Notes Ref.
2022 Doctor Who: Redacted Captain Chopra BBC Sounds [47]
2024 Bleak House Esther Summerson Audible [48]

Other television appearances

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Year Title Role Notes Ref.
2024 Comic Relief: Funny for Money Self Red Nose Day fundraising telethon [49]

Awards and nominations

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Year Association Category Work Result Ref.
2020 Funny Women Awards Stage Award Semi-finalist [50]
2022 Edinburgh TV Awards Breakthrough Talent – Actor This Is Going to Hurt Nominated [51]
2023 BPG Television, Streaming and Audio Awards Best Actress Won [52]
RTS Programme Awards Supporting Actor – Female Won [53]
2024 Gotham TV Awards Outstanding Performance in a Limited Series One Day Nominated [54]
Harper's Bazaar Women of the Year Awards Breakthrough of the Year One Day and

This Is Going to Hurt

Won [55]
Women In Film & TV Awards Netflix New Talent Award One Day Won [56]

References

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  1. ^ "Ambika Mod: Character of Shruti in BBC's This Is Going To Hurt is important". Barry And District News. 11 February 2022. Retrieved 15 March 2022.
  2. ^ Ambika Mod and Leo Woodall From One Day Take The BFF Test Test, retrieved 9 February 2024
  3. ^ "Stage Awards Semi-Finalists 2020". Women Funny Awards. Retrieved 11 February 2022.
  4. ^ a b Mulkerrins, Jane (5 March 2022). "This Is Going to Hurt's Ambika Mod: 'I have really bad anxiety'". The Sunday Times. Retrieved 9 March 2022.
  5. ^ "Old Owenian performs at the Fringe!" (PDF). Old Owenians Newsletter: 8. 15 December 2015. Retrieved 11 February 2022.
  6. ^ "Catching up with Ambika Mod". DST First Night. 2021. Retrieved 11 February 2022.
  7. ^ Healy, Rachael (22 February 2022). "This Is Going to Hurt's Ambika Mod: 'Whenever I did a caesarean I was buzzing!'". The Guardian. Retrieved 9 March 2022.
  8. ^ Wall, Natalie (4 March 2016). "The Durham Revue's Ambika Mod!". Her Campus. Retrieved 11 February 2022.
  9. ^ "Durham Revue team up with Cambridge Footlights for 'ComedyFest!". Durham University. 10 February 2022. Retrieved 11 February 2022.
  10. ^ Brown, Keira (25 August 2019). "Ambika Mod: Within this main narrative we weave in and out of tight, witty sketches which range from observational to a bit more absurd". The Fountain. Archived from the original on 11 February 2022. Retrieved 11 February 2022.
  11. ^ Iftikhar, Asyia (9 February 2022). "Ambika Mod Is "Pretty Confident" She Could Do A C-Section IRL". Bustle. Retrieved 11 February 2022.
  12. ^ "Harold Night". 3 May 2019. Retrieved 31 March 2022.[permanent dead link‍]
  13. ^ "Obsessed with Ambika Mod in One Day? Here's all her other projects you need to watch". Cosmopolitan. 12 February 2024. Retrieved 20 February 2024.
  14. ^ Morris, Lauren (16 February 2022). "Meet the cast of BBC One's This Is Going to Hurt". Radio Times. Retrieved 5 March 2022.
  15. ^ "This Is Going to Hurt Is the Best Medical Drama in Years". TIME. 3 June 2022. Retrieved 18 February 2024.
  16. ^ Fienberg, Daniel (1 June 2022). "Ben Whishaw in AMC+'s 'This Is Going to Hurt': TV Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 18 February 2024.
  17. ^ "2023 Awards". 7 February 2024.
  18. ^ https://www.bafta.org/stories/meet-the-2022-uk-breakthroughs
  19. ^ https://www.elle.com/uk/life-and-culture/culture/a46668437/ambika-mod-one-day/
  20. ^ "Meet the 'One Day' Netflix cast, from Ambika Mod to White Lotus star Leo Woodall". Glamour UK. 1 December 2023. Retrieved 17 February 2024.
  21. ^ "One Day's Ambika Mod on why she initially turned down playing Emma". Cosmopolitan. 9 February 2024. Retrieved 20 February 2024.
  22. ^ "Ambika Mod Didn't See Herself as a Romantic Lead. Then 'One Day' Happened". ELLE. 16 February 2024. Retrieved 20 February 2024.
  23. ^ "'One Day' is one of this year's defining cultural moments". Glamour UK. 9 February 2024. Retrieved 17 February 2024.
  24. ^ Barr, Sabrina (11 February 2024). "Wondering why One Day actress playing Emma has you sobbing? Here's why". Retrieved 18 February 2024.
  25. ^ Seitz, Loree (20 February 2024). "One Day, Love is Blind Season 6 Lure Netflix TV Viewers". TheWrap. Retrieved 22 February 2024.
  26. ^ Ramaswamy, Chitra (6 February 2024). "One Day review – a flawless romcom you'll fall for, hard". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 17 February 2024.
  27. ^ "One Day: I rarely saw people like me in lead roles, says Ambika Mod". BBC News. 8 February 2024. Retrieved 18 February 2024.
  28. ^ https://www.digitalspy.com/movies/a62818297/one-day-ambika-mod-movie-sacrifice/
  29. ^ "Obsessed with Ambika Mod in One Day? Here's all her other projects you need to watch". Cosmopolitan. 12 February 2024. Retrieved 18 February 2024.
  30. ^ https://www.forbes.com/profile/ambika-mod/
  31. ^ https://www.thetimes.com/article/young-power-list-2024-revealed-sunday-times-2h5hmx632
  32. ^ https://time.com/7023618/ambika-mod/
  33. ^ https://www.harpersbazaar.com/uk/fashion/style-files/a62828649/getting-ready-with-ambika-mod-for-the-bazaar-women-of-the-year-awards/#
  34. ^ https://www.harpersbazaar.com/uk/culture/culture-news/a62760812/ambika-mod-cover-shoot-interview/
  35. ^ https://www.gq-magazine.co.uk/tags/men-of-the-year
  36. ^ https://theartistspartnership.co.uk/artist/ambika-mod/
  37. ^ https://deadline.com/2024/11/charli-xcx-yung-lean-join-chris-evans-aanya-taylor-joy-romain-gavras-movie-sacrifice-1236166511/
  38. ^ https://www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/2021/first-look-images-and-further-casting-for-this-is-going-to-hurt
  39. ^ https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0014bxd
  40. ^ https://www.radiotimes.com/tv/drama/i-hate-suzie-too-cast/
  41. ^ https://deadline.com/2022/06/netflix-drama-one-day-casts-the-white-lotus-actor-leo-woodall-this-is-going-to-hurt-breakout-ambika-mod-as-leads-1235050578/
  42. ^ https://press.disney.co.uk/news/ready-for-a-thrill-disney+-announces-cast-for-new-uk-original-series-playdate-starring-denise-gough-holliday-grainger-ambika-mod-jim-sturgess-bronagh-waugh-and-michael-workeye
  43. ^ https://www.durham.ac.uk/alumni/news-and-events/latest-news/2024/02/from-the-big-durham-talent-show-to-netflix-blockbuster/
  44. ^ https://theedinburghreporter.co.uk/2019/07/edinburgh-festival-fringe-2019-children-of-the-quorn/#google_vignette
  45. ^ https://thestudentnews.co.uk/2024/08/21/fringe-2024-3/
  46. ^ https://sohoplace.org/shows/white-rabbit-red-rabbit
  47. ^ https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p0ccggr3
  48. ^ https://www.audible.com/pd/Bleak-House-Audiobook/B0DFZ53MV3?qid=1734589768&sr=1-1&ref_pageloadid=not_applicable&pf_rd_p=83218cca-c308-412f-bfcf-90198b687a2f&pf_rd_r=ZGG4AYCWGJ1Z6VENXW26&plink=RRtXIQrsxwNhXdee&pageLoadId=WfmMrS0nolsE9Sl7&creativeId=0d6f6720-f41c-457e-a42b-8c8dceb62f2c&ref=a_search_c3_lProduct_1_1
  49. ^ https://fundraising.co.uk/2024/03/18/red-nose-day-beats-2023s-on-the-night-total-at-over-38mn/
  50. ^ "2020 Stage Awards Semi-Finalists Announced!". Funny Women. 4 August 2020. Retrieved 18 December 2020.
  51. ^ @EdinburghTVFest (16 June 2022). "Our nominees for Breakthrough Talent- Actor🎭 📺 @ambikamod 📺 @DLMacdonald19 📺 Dipo Ola 📺 @GambaCole #EdTVAwards" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  52. ^ "2023 Awards". Broadcasting Press Guild. 7 February 2024.
  53. ^ "RTS Programme Awards". Royal Television Society. 7 February 2024.
  54. ^ https://variety.com/2024/tv/news/gotham-tv-awards-2024-winners-list-1236023867/
  55. ^ https://www.harpersbazaar.com/uk/fashion/fashion-news/g62804925/women-of-the-year-awards-2024-the-winners-portfolio/
  56. ^ https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/general-news/baby-reindeer-wftv-awards-winners-jessica-gunning-ambika-mod-mary-berry-1236079276/
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