Rushi Kota – Make Me a Match

By starrymag | July 5, 2023

By: Malasha Parker

 

 

Q) Please tell us the premise for the movie Make Me A Match.

 

A) The premise of the movie is about two people who have opposing views on finding love. They realize that they have so much in common but because of their baggage, they can’t be together. Dun, dun, duuun…drama, conflict, heartache. It’s Indian Matchmaking meets Dating Apps.

Vivi, played by Eva Bourne, is a tech executive who works at a dating app company but realizes her love life and client matchmaking results are at an abysmal low. She hires a consultant, an Indian Matchmaker, Raina (played by Rekha Sharma) who suggests she goes through the Indian matchmaking process to figure out how to increase the app success rate. Enter Boom, the son of Raina, who runs the matchmaking business. He and Vivi spend time together as part of work and the matchmaking process and along the way find love.

 

Q) How was your character Bhumesh initially described to you?

 

A)Boom was described to me as a humorous man who runs the family Matchmaking company with his widowed mother, Raina. Although Raina is one of the most successful matchmakers in the world, her reluctance to adopt modern methods, despite Boom’s urging, is seriously impacting their client base.

When Vivi wants to team up with them, to incorporate their ancient South Asian techniques into her own tech-forward online company they agree — but only if Vivi acts as their first client and test subject. As Boom works to match Vivi with the perfect man, he starts falling hard for her. But he is still grieving for his late father and he fears that if he marries, he will be effectively abandoning his mother.

 

Q) Hallmark movies usually have a light tone with some fun and a little mystery within them. What about this story made you want to be involved in the project?

 

A) So many things. First, I thought it was well written. I loved the banter between Boom and Vivi. I loved the rom-com twist of Indian Matchmaking meeting modern dating. I loved that this is Hallmark’s first venture into highlighting South Asian culture. I also really loved how my character Boom was masking deep-rooted pain that kept him from moving forward in his life.

 

Q) The movie is all about love and finding that perfect match. Talk about how your character, Bhumesh, helps move the plot along. 

 

A) He runs the family business and acts as a client concierge, so he’s quite involved in Vivi’s matchmaking journey. For each date, he’s prepping, driving and analyzing with her – even checking in when things don’t go so well, which only further strengthens their bond. They realize they have chemistry and possibly a connection but are too clouded by their own baggage to really see each other.

 

Q) You have starred in various roles from “Grey’s Anatomy” to “Never Have I Ever” and more. How did you prepare for this particular role that was a bit different from your previous ones?

 

A) [laughs] As fast as possible! I was really up against the clock on this one. I only had two weeks from when I got the offer to when we started shooting. So, while I was memorizing lines, I was doing character development and scene breakdown and coaching with my acting teacher. Since my previous jobs were mainly through auditions, I definitely felt a lot more pressure walking into this job because my character wasn’t fully baked. I had to mentally prepare myself for being open to change and finding out new things about the character – that was really new for me, but very, very fun and made me listen even more intently.

 

Q) Were you familiar with any of your costars before working with them on this film?

 

A) I was not. I met everyone on their first day on set.

 

Q) What was your favorite scene to film for the movie or maybe one that challenged you the most?

 

A) I had a blast every single day on set. One of my favorite and most challenging scenes was the one between Boom and Raina when they are talking about the whole loss of his father/her husband left in their lives. It required a lot of emotion and I’m someone that can’t easily cry, so it required a lot of concentration on my part. I listened to music in-between takes and used sensorial work to help me stay in the zone. Once we were shooting, Rekha gave me an immense amount of emotion to react to. She’s such a seasoned veteran actor and very giving as a person. I think that both of us took a beautiful dance together and helped each other overcome this huge loss in our character’s lives and it translated really well on screen.

 

Q) What do you think it is about Make Me a Match that will make it a fast fan favorite Hallmark Channel film?

 

A) Definitely the chemistry between Boom and Vivi, it’s so palpable in this movie. You’ll be smiling ear-to-ear the whole time. Also, the relationships between Boom and Raina and Vivi and Raina were beautiful to watch unfold. I hope the audience finds the South Asian cultural scenes refreshing, vibrant and colorful. It was a huge deal for Hallmark to include this kind of diversity in the June Weddings 2023 series.

 

Q) Tell us about some of your future projects coming out.

 

A) For sure. So, there are a few projects coming up. One of them is Dumb Money coming out in theaters on 9/22/23, which I shot last year. It’s got some pretty heavy hitters in there – Sebastian Stan, Seth Rogan, Pete Davidson, Paul Dano and America Ferrera just to name a few. I got to play one of the Co-CEOs of Robin Hood. This movie is all about the Reddit revolution/Gamestop movement of January 2021 that took down a couple of huge Hedge funds. It’s going to be dope. Then, there’s this one I just finished shooting called A Girl in The Pool directed by a young, prolific up and coming director Dakota Gorman. It’s a satirical thriller and I play opposite Freddie Prinze Jr. And finally, an animated project I voiced with Lilly Singh called “The Mindful Adventures of Unicorn Island.” It’s partnering with Headspace and YouTube Originals to create this mindful animated show for children to help them overcome their anxieties and deal with their challenges in a space way. It also stars Padma Lakshmi, Kal Penn and Utkarsh Ambudkar.

 

Q) What would you like to say to the fans of you and your work?

 

A) Thank you for tuning in and for your support! Know that I don’t take anything for granted. I work my ass off every single day. I’m constantly learning, growing and challenging myself to be a better actor and a better human. I hope to bring you the best of me always.