| Alexx O'Nell | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born | Alexander Leonard O'Neill July 26, 1980 Connecticut, United States |
| Nationality | American |
| Alma mater | Boston University |
| Occupation | Actor, Musician |
| Years active | 2007–present |
| Spouse(s) | Shweta Keswani (2008–2011) |
Alexx O'Nell (born Alexander Leonard O’Neill on July
26, 1980) is an American born actor and musician who is based in India
and has appeared in films and television programs in English and Indian
languages.[1][2] His major feature films include Cheeni Kum, Madrasapattinam, Urumi, Joker and Chittagong.
O'Nell began his acting career with community and regional theater in the United States,[3][4] later working in television advertisements in India and internationally,[1][2][5] and finally landing character roles and appearances in films such as the Hindi feature Cheeni Kum (2007) and the English feature Loins of Punjab Presents (2007).[1][2] He later gained recognition as a contestant on the hugely popular Indian celebrity dance competition Nach Baliye (season 3, 2007).
O'Nell's first leading role in a big-budget production came with Madrasapattinam(2010).[2] Following Madrasapattinam, O'Nell returned to television to star in the Indian primetime historical drama Jhansi Ki Rani in mid-2010,[2] and in early 2011 he also appeared in a guest role on the drama Dhoondh Legi Manzil Humein.[6] Late 2011 saw the release of the Hindi Language feature Jo Dooba So Paar (2011) with O'Nell in a supporting role. After almost a year's gap, O'Nell was seen in a lead role in Shirish Kunder’s Joker(2012)[1] followed shortly thereafter by a cameo in A. L. Vijay's Thaandavam (2012)[7] released in late August and late September 2012 respectively. Finally, O'Nell starred in Bedabrata Pain's much awaited Chittagong(2012),
released to overwhelming critical acclaim on October 12, 2012. Perhaps
his most significant role to date, O'Nell appeared in a double-lead role
in the multilingual Urumi(2011),[8][9] (and the un-released English language Vasco Da Gama,[8][9] (in which he plays a triple role)) directed by acclaimed Indian director Santosh Sivan. While Urumi
has released in select markets (Malayalam, Tamil, Telugu) in 2011 and
2012, it has not yet released in Hindi or English. The stage of
completion and expected release date for the English-language Vasco Da Gama are unknown. O'Nell is currently shooting for Pooja Bhatt's film Bad (2013).[10]
Following a high-profile relationship with Indian actress Sweta Keswani, O'Nell and Keswani were married in October and November 2008 in four different ceremonies.[11]
O'Nell and Keswani lived together in Mumbai, India until their separation in mid-2011.[11]
O'Nell is reportedly in a relationship with Indian actress and fashion designer Shama Sikander.[12]
Career
O'Nell began working at various jobs from an early age and continued
to change his career frequently throughout his adult life including
working in counseling marketing and modeling.[13]
It was a marketing firm called Lester Inc. that sent him abroad and
first introduced him to India by way of its partner company Enlink
Infotech in 2003, a second firm would extend his experience in India and
expand it to South Africa, the Philippines and the UK.
Modeling & Advertising
After working in theater, and then briefly as a fashion / print model
for brands like Hyundai and Lenovo, O'Nell’s onscreen career began with
acting in advertisements.[4]
His most notable campaigns included Roma Switches, Panasonic Air
Conditioners and Esys Computers as well as being the brand ambassador
for Moulin Glaciere perfumes from 2006 to 2009.[4][13]
Music
O'Nell performed on guitar and lead vocals extensively in the United
States until 2005, and appeared on lead vocals and guitar with acclaimed
Indian singer/songwriter Shibani Kashyap at the Hard Rock Cafe, Mumbai, India in September 2008.[14] He also appeared in Kashyap’s music video Alvida.[15] He is reported to have recorded with music directors The Meet Brothers,[16]
however none of his original music has released and other musical
performances have been rare. Nevertheless, a June 2012 interview with
Shama Sikander indicates that “an album [of O'Nell's original music]
will release soon.”.[17]
Film & Television
O'Nell’s film career began with the English comedy Loins of Punjab Presents (2007) in which he played the minor but memorable role of a flabbergasted New Jersey hotel manager (Wesminton)[5]
in the mist of a chaotic Indian American-Idol-like competition. Though
Loins was his first film shot, his first cinematic release would be the
dry Hindi comedy Cheeni Kum (2007) in which he appeared as a bumbling English waiter who takes the brunt of the boss’s (Amitabh Bacchan) ire.[18]
In the same year, O'Nell gained recognition as a contestant on the hugely popular Indian celebrity dance competition Nach Baliye (season 3) where he participated with Indian actor Sweta Keswani (whom he would later marry in 2008) and enjoyed widespread praise for his effort, dancing and lipsynch,[18][19] The Times of India commenting "when Shweta Keswani and beau Alexx O'Nell perform on stage all eyes naturally are on Alexx".[20]
He holds the distinction of being the first non-Indian participant seen
in a significant capacity on Indian national primetime television.
Following Nach Baliye, O'Nell appeared in a cameo in the 2010 Hindi language feature Malik Ek, which, despite a cast of well known and well respected actors including Jackie Shroff (in the title role), Smriti Irani, Rajeshwari Sachdeva, Shakti Kapoor, and Divya Dutta, was almost unanimously regarded as a "miserable" film[21] with "shoddy script, bad direction, [and] poor camerawork".[22] Among the few positive mentions, critics commented about the supporting cast: "Alex O’Neil … and the rest lend fair support."[23]
O'Nell's first leading role in a big-budget production came in 2010 with the English/Tamil language 1940s period drama Madrasapattinam in which he starred opposite Amy Jackson (Miss Teen World) and well-known south Indian actor Arya.
His performance as a spurned lover and sadistic police commissioner in
1940s colonial south India attracted praise from both critics and
audiences alike.[24][25][26][27] Critics commented "Alex O’Neill as the menacing Robert Ellis provides the ample antagonism and evokes sympathy...".[28] Madrasapattinam became the 4th highest grossing and the 8th most profitable film in its industry in 2010.[29][30] Despite its critical acclaim and commercial success in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, Madrasapattinam
did not fare well outside its region, (perhaps due to the lack of
subtitling) despite releasing in Hindi speaking markets in India, and
internationally in English speaking markets in Europe and the United
States, and therefore did not in itself further O'Nell’s career outside
south India. Madrasapattinam was re-released as "1947 - A Love Story" in Telugu in the south east of India in August 2011 to positive reviews from critics.
Following work on Madrasapattinam, O'Nell completed filming for a supporting role in the Hindi language feature Jo Dooba So Paar,
a contemporary drama in which O'Nell plays an American who’s Italian
girlfriend (Sita Spada) gets kidnapped in the Indian state of Bihar.[9] The film also stars notable Indian actors Vinay Pathak and Rajat Kapoor.[9]
Jo Dooba So Paar released October 2011 to extremely mixed reviews. On
one hand Daily News and Analysis gave the film 1 of 5 stars commenting
“Jo Dooba So Paar is nothing you should waste your money on.”[31] And CNN IBN called it “as boring as watching paint dry.”[32]
On the other hand, The Times of India awarded it 3 of 5 stars and
asserted “The film holds up a charming mirror on the small town
milieu... the niche audience will enjoy the integrity of tone and
character.[33]
Simultaneously while shooting for Jo Dooba So Paar, O'Nell appeared with then real-life wife Sweta Keswani as her husband in a cameo for friend-director Rohit Roy’s made-for-television film Chaar Mulakatein.[34]
In early 2010, O'Nell also completed shooting for the critically acclaimed and Indian National Award winning Chittagong,[4][9] a period drama based on historical events surrounding the East Indian Chittagong armoury raid
of 1930. O'Nell plays Charles Johnson, the British Official in charge
of law and order, who is pitted against a school teacher named Surya Sen (played by indian actor Manoj Bajpai)
and a group of students who go on to famously defeat the imperial force
for the first time in the history of British India. Due to similar
subject matter, Chittagong was compared to the Abhishek Bachchan starrer Khele Hum Jee Jaan Sey[35] which received a lukewarm reception in 2011.[36][37] O'Nell has commented that Chittagong is a "grittier" depiction of the events.[9] Chittagong also stars notable India-based British actor and acting instructor Barry John,[9]
and released to unanimously positive reviews on October 12, 2012.
Critics commented "… Charles Johnson [Alexx O'Nell], … along with the
others perform brilliantly.".[38]
Bollywood trade analyst Komal Nahta added "Alexx O’Nell, as Charles
Johnson, plays the cruel officer by getting into the skin of the
character."[39]
Hindustan times asserted "The performances are earnest and genuine to
the core…" and "Alexx O'Nell … leave[s] a tremendous impression…".[40][41] Box Office India critiqued O'Nell and John together writing: "Barry John and Alexx O’Nell act ably",[42] with News Track India adding "[O'Nell and John] who have played the characters of Britishers are superb…".[43]
In mid-2010 O'Nell returned to television for the first time since Nach Baliye to star in the Zee TV Indian primetime historical drama Jhansi Ki Rani
(JKR) wherein he played Robert Ellis, a British officer sympathetic to
the plight of a revolutionary Indian queen in her struggle against the
British colonial rule of the 1850s.[44] His character is loosely based on the real-life historical figure of the same name who’s relationship with the queen (Rani Lakshmibai)
is the controversial subject of a historical fiction novel Rani – a
work which has attracted protest and was subsequently banned in present
day Jhansi.[45][46][47]
O'Nell appears to have incorporated the author’s creative
interpretation into his performance, commenting: “I’ll be portraying the
role of a British officer named Ellis who has an affair with an Indian
Queen (Jhansi Ki Rani).”[48]
In early 2011 O'Nell also appeared in a guest role on the popular Star One TV contemporary drama Dhoondh Legi Manzil Humein (DLMH) as Ralph, the jealous and borderline abusive boyfriend of the protagonist[6]
– a role that showed him in stark contrast to his brooding yet loveable
and heroic performance in JKR. DLMH was his first portrayal of a
character with “negative shades”[6] on Indian national primetime television.
In early 2011, while continuing to shoot for JKR and DLMH, O'Nell completed filming for lead roles in the multilingual Urumi and the English language Vasco Da Gama, both simultaneously directed by acclaimed Indian director Santosh Sivan.[8]
O'Nell was approached for Urumi after being recommended to Santosh Sivan by multiple sources, including Madrasapattinam director A. L. Vijay as well as Italian Actor Sita Spada (with whom O'Nell acted in Jo Dooba So Paar).[8][9] After casting O'Nell for the character Estêvão da Gama, Sivan expanded the role, and later offered him the role of Vasco Da Gama as well.[3] Therefore, in Urumi, O'Nell plays both Vasco da Gama
and Vasco’s son Estêvão da Gama. Sivan reportedly decided to shoot
additional scenes and make a 90 minute English feature entitled Vasco da Gama,
and offered O'Nell an additional character of a modern day traveler,
and therefore he is expected to appear in three roles in the film Vasco da Gama.[49] According to Sivan both films have as their subject matter the travels of the 15th century explorer Vasco Da Gama and the Indian warriors that set out to assassinate him, but the two have very different plot lines and perspective.[8] Speaking about working with Sivan, O'Nell commented in an interview that "Sivan is the Steven Spielberg of Indian cinema".[9] While Urumi
released in Malayalam, Tamil, and Telugu in 2011 & 2012 to
excellent reviews, Hindi and English language releases are pending and
expected in mid to late 2012.
In February 2011 O'Nell began work on Shirish Kunder’s Akshay Kumar and Sonakshi Sinha starrer Joker.[1][50] O'Nell’s first comedy since Cheeni Kum, Joker is the story of an indian village called Paglapur, “isolated, with no electricity, television or sanity”[51] [38]. "Akshay Kumar creates a hoax by involving aliens in order to attract attention to the village's problems."[52] O'Nell and Kumar play “Rivals… pitted against each other”[1] where “Alexx O'Neil ... [is] a cynical American who calls Paglapur's bluff.”[53] Joker released August 31, 2012 to mixed but predominantly negative reviews, critics calling it everything from a "Total Fail",[54] to "disappointing",[55] to "amusing but predictable",[56] and finally a "one-time watch as it is a mass entertainer and delivers a lovely message.".[57]
Despite the film's reviews and average rating of 2.5 out of 5 stars,
O'Nell's performance attracted unanimous praise with MovieZadda
reporting "Alexx O'Nell gave a decent performance",[58] and the Times Of India explaining "Some performances - Talpade especially, O'Nell too - are stand-out while Kumar is adequate."[59]
In early December 2011 O'Nell teamed up once again with Director A L
Vijay (Madrassapatinam 2010) to shoot for a cameo in the Tamil language
Thaandavam. Thaandavam is the second film after Madrassapatinam in which
O'Nell and Amy Jackson both perform although they do not appear
together in Thaandavam. The film also stars South Indian superstar
Vikram, Anushka Shetty, and Jagapathi Babu.[7] Thaandavam released in September 2012 to positive reviews.[7]
2012 marked a significant turning point for O'Nell’s acting career in
terms of the volume of work, the significance of roles, and the array
of languages in which they released. Of his four releases in 2012, one
film featured him in a cameo in Tamil ("Thaandavam"), two featured him
in lead roles in Hindi ("Chittagong", "Joker"), and one in multiple
languages including Portuguese, Tamil, and Malayalam in a double-leading
role ("Urumi").
O'Nell is currently shooting for Pooja Bhatt's film Bad (2013).[10]
Personal life
The son of a Dutch Mother and Irish-American Father, O'Nell was born in the US state of Connecticut[1] and has one sister who was married in September 2007.[60]
O’Nell’s relationship with Indian actress Sweta Keswani, began in 2006[citation needed] and saw the two compete successfully in the Indian Celebrity dance competition “Nach Baliye” Season 3 in 2007. Their relationship was not free of scandal. O'Nell was linked to India-based British actor Hazel Crowney in April 2008,[61]
and an article alleges “Shweta's parents were dead against her marrying
Alex who is an American. When Sweta made up her mind to marry him
finally against her parents wishes – her parents parted ways with her.”[62]
Nevertheless, their relationship and subsequent marriage was widely
regarded as an ideal coming together of eastern and western cultures
with significant attention paid to the pair.[60][63][64][65][66][67]
O'Nell and Keswani were married in October and November 2008 in four
different ceremonies including Court (Legal), Buddhist, Hindu, and
Christian.[67] The Hindu wedding was a secret affair closed to the media and took place in Mumbai[68] The Christian wedding took place on a private beach in the Indian state of Goa.[69] Their honeymoon in Egypt was marred by the Mumbai Terror Attacks of 2008, and they returned shortly after.[70] Following their wedding O'Nell and Keswani appeared as a couple in the news, magazines (including the cover of India Today, Simply Mumbai, December 2007) and on various television programs including “Star Vivaah”, and "Ghar Ghar Mein".[62] They played a couple in the made-for-television film “Chaar Mulakatein” directed by friend of the couple Rohit Roy.[34] O'Nell and Keswani lived together in Mumbai India until their separation in 2011.[11] Preferring to keep their relationship out of the public eye, the two initially issued a joint statement to the media,[71] but later both parties broke their silence.[72][73]
Explaining why they were apprehensive to speak to the media O'Nell
commented in an interview "People like drama and sensationalism, but
unfortunately or fortunately, there's none here. Sweta and I are very
close and there's no bad blood. I wish people understand that we wish
well for each other.”[72]
Keswani cited “different goals, desires and needs [as well as]
professional commitments [that] kept us apart” as reason for the
breakup.[73] The separation and subsequent relationship appears amicable, Keswani commenting: “Alexx … remains my close friend”[73] and O'Nell adding: "We've got no plans of cutting each other out of our lives".[72]
In mid-2011 speculation began regarding O'Nell's relationship with
well-known Indian actress and fashion designer Shama Sikander.[74][75]
While O'Nell has never publicly commented on the relationship, the two
were spotted with increasing frequency throughout 2011 and into 2012 and
speculation continued until Sikander confirmed that they were indeed in
a relationship in an interview which featured on the cover of Showtime
Magazine December 2011 issue.[76]
More recently, a June 2012 interview with Sikander discloses that the
two met through friends at a sundown party .. and that she was won over
nearly immediately after he played some music for her ... [original]
compositions ... to be featured in an album that will release soon.
