From a jet-setting career in advertising to family life in London, Suresh Sippy’s life has morphed and evolved over the years. But his love for creating art, in whatever form it might take, has stayed constant throughout.
Between supporting his family and fulfilling other responsibilities, Suresh hasn’t always had the time that he’d like to devote to his creative pursuits – until now.
At 69, Suresh is seizing the next chapter of his life by following his passions; whether that be acting in Bollywood films, writing poetry, or producing humorous YouTube videos…
“I didn’t have the luxury of time to keep looking [for a job in advertising] because I was newly married and needed the money, so I took any old job I could find”
As a young man in Bombay, India, Suresh would write poetry in his spare time and even perform in amateur theatre productions in and around the city. But after graduating from university, he found himself thrust into the world of advertising – a career that took him across the Arabian Sea to Dubai.
“I would help to create ads and write copy – that sort of thing,” Suresh tells us. “I’d often come to London too, to make commercials for clients back in the Middle East.”
It was on one of these trips that Suresh met, Lesley, his future wife. So after nearly six years in Dubai, he immigrated once again – this time to the UK. But continuing his career in advertising in a new country proved to be challenging…
“When I moved to the UK nearly 40 years ago, I looked for advertising jobs, but I couldn’t find any. They wanted people with UK-based experience. So even though I’d worked in advertising in both India and Dubai, I couldn’t break into that world. It was a bit of a closed circle.
“And I didn’t have the luxury of time to keep looking because I was newly married and I needed the money, so I took any old job I could find.”
In the decades since he moved to the UK, Suresh has worked in many different roles – from sales to personal finance – but he never lost his interest in writing and acting. And when he was in his late 40s/early 50s, he found a creative outlet in an unexpected place…
“I went to the BBC offices [...], auditioned with lots of other people, and got the part! I couldn’t believe it”
Suresh tells us, “There’s a very prestigious film school in Covent Garden, The London Film School. And each year, final-year students have to make a short film. Of course, they’re students so they can’t afford to pay, which means that they’re desperate for actors to work for free.
“I was always interested in acting, so I went and registered myself there. And after performing in a few of the students’ films, I put together a little showreel that I could use to show casting directors.”
It was after Suresh signed up for Spotlight, the UK’s largest casting resource, that he managed to land his first paid gig in his early 50s.
“I saw an audition call on Spotlight for the BBC show Crimewatch which, if you remember, reconstructed unsolved crimes to help obtain information that might help solve them. So I went to the BBC offices in West London, auditioned with lots of other people, and got the part! I couldn’t believe it.”
From the BBC to Bollywood to YouTube…
Suresh’s first paid role led to the BBC asking him to come back for not one, but two more reconstructions for Crimewatch. And since then, he’s appeared in a wide variety of visual media – from television adverts and company training videos to Bollywood films.
One of Suresh’s most impressive credits is the Bollywood version of the popular book-turned-film The Girl on the Train, in which he plays the lead character’s doctor. It was released last year and you can currently watch it on Netflix.
But Suresh doesn’t leave his fate up to the wild whims of casting directors. Like any industrious and proactive person, he makes things happen for himself – for example, by making YouTube videos like his Brexit Rap, which you can watch below.
The father of two tells us, “I remember we were having a discussion about Brexit with some friends. And the next morning, I woke up with it buzzing around in my head and thought, I’ve got to get it out. So I wrote the whole thing before I even got out of bed.”
When we ask if he was hesitant about venturing into the world of YouTube, which is dominated by the younger generations, Suresh laughs and says, “It’s never too late! I’ve even written a new rap about the state our country’s in right now. I’m just waiting to record it.”
“I’ve had some very good feedback on [my book] and I’m even thinking about turning it into a short screenplay”
While Suresh continues to pursue his acting career (in fact, he filmed a part in another Bollywood film just a few weeks ago), he doesn’t limit himself to the performing arts. Being an avid writer, he self-published a short novella last year called The A.E.C., which he describes as a “supernatural love story”.
The story follows Ed Garcia, a washed-up New York banker with a drinking problem who has isolated himself from his loved ones through a series of bad decisions. Plagued by regrets, Ed is given the chance, through a mystical turn of events, to go back and do his life right.
“At 69 pages, it’s not that long,” Suresh explains. “It’s my first book, so I didn’t want to write something with hundreds and hundreds of pages. I thought I’d cut my teeth on a novella. But I’ve had some very good feedback on it and I’m even thinking about turning it into a short screenplay.”
“Being creative has a tremendous effect on my mental wellbeing because it gives me a purpose in life”
As you can see, Suresh’s creative appetite is voracious. While lots of people may want to slow down in later life, he’s doing the opposite. So after self-publishing The A.E.C. on Amazon, he wasted no time embarking on his next project; a book of short, inspirational poems that he also plans to publish.
Speaking about what motivates him and makes him so productive, Suresh says, “All I can say is that I wake up in the morning with some idea bursting out of my head and I think, I’ve got to put it on paper. It’s just there and I think it would be a tragedy to leave it in my mind.
“Now that I’ve retired from my day job, which was only last month, I’ve decided to focus all of my attention on my creative pursuits. I don’t want to just sit back and watch television. I want to write more books and make more films.”
And being creative in later life isn’t simply fun and fulfilling. In fact, the benefits that it can have on our physical and mental health are well-documented – and Suresh agrees…
“Being creative has a tremendous effect on my mental wellbeing because it gives me a purpose in life,” Suresh says. “It makes me feel young and keeps me engaged. When I’m on a film set, for example, it’s like being on holiday – it’s like a tonic. If I were to spend all my time until I die making films, then I’d think that I had a wonderful life.”
Final thoughts from Suresh…
While Suresh evidently gets a lot out of his writing and filmmaking, his love for creating things isn’t just about his own health and happiness. In fact, through his art, Suresh is passionate about improving other people’s lives too.
Speaking about his poetry, for example, Suresh says, “I want someone to read it and feel that there’s hope and that we’re stronger than what life throws at us. If I can make someone feel inspired, then I’ve done my job.”
To find out more about Suresh, you can head over to his website. And if you’re interested in reading his novella, The A.E.C., you can check out the extract below before ordering it on Amazon.