Kirin Kotecha

[Daffodillie]

I think it is interesting to compare him to Rik Makarem who plays Nikhil Shrama. I assume this actor is at least of partial Asian origin going by his name, and he does have some vaguely South Asian features, yet he reads as fairly white off the bat and I assume many people upon meeting him would see him as white in the absence of further information with which to classify him. Again it seems a case of casting some one who can just about pass as South Asian, yet does not look like most South Asians and can likely pass as European, regardless of actual heritage.

[Daffodillie]

Yet another interesting casting decision is Natalie Anderson to play Alicia Gallagher. Presumably the actress is officially 'white' i.e of wholly European origin and the character is also supposed to be white, yet Anderson is again somewhat racially ambiguous in appearance. The first time I saw her I wondered whether she was of partial South Asian descent, but on closer inspection I think she probably isn't, but who knows. I have actually noticed this about Emmerdale over the past few years, there seems to be a trend for hiring actors of a similar appearance, dark hair and eyes and somewhat racially ambiguous, but still obviously relatively light-skinned, whether cast in Asian or white parts.

[Serena Williams]

I think it is interesting to compare him to Rik Makarem who plays Nikhil Shrama. I assume this actor is at least of partial Asian origin going by his name, and he does have some vaguely South Asian features, yet he reads as fairly white off the bat and I assume many people upon meeting him would see him as white in the absence of further information with which to classify him. Again it seems a case of casting some one who can just about pass as South Asian, yet does not look like most South Asians and can likely pass as European, regardless of actual heritage.

Actually I do not think Rik Marakem can pass as white I immediately knew he was South Asian but I suspect he is mixed race and his mother is probably white or part white. It is interesting how Emmerdale casts mixed race actors instead of real South Asians.

[Serena Williams]

I think it is interesting to compare him to Rik Makarem who plays Nikhil Shrama. I assume this actor is at least of partial Asian origin going by his name, and he does have some vaguely South Asian features, yet he reads as fairly white off the bat and I assume many people upon meeting him would see him as white in the absence of further information with which to classify him. Again it seems a case of casting some one who can just about pass as South Asian, yet does not look like most South Asians and can likely pass as European, regardless of actual heritage.

Actually I do not think Rik Marakem can pass as white I immediately knew he was South Asian but I suspect he is mixed race and his mother is probably white or part white. It is interesting how Emmerdale casts mixed race actors instead of real South Asians.

[sarah c]

Actually I do not think Rik Marakem can pass as white I immediately knew he was South Asian but I suspect he is mixed race and his mother is probably white or part white. It is interesting how Emmerdale casts mixed race actors instead of real South Asians.

yes but Nikhill, Jai and priya are all mixed-race characters? so mixed race actors would be the most appropriate

[Daffodillie]

As sarah c points out his character is supposed to be 'mixed race'. But often mixed European/South Asian actors are cast to play fully Asian parts. The most ridiculous example I can think of is Marc Elliot, who I believe is a quarter South Asian and three quarters European, playing Syed Masood in Eastenders. While South Asians do vary greatly in appearance and some do look fairly European, when compared to Himesh Patel who plays Tamwar, it takes a great deal of suspension of disbelief to see them as biological brothers.

[Perdita]

Emmerdale teen Kirin Kotecha will face a tough battle next week as he struggles to cope with the pressures of fatherhood.
Kirin's life recently changed forever as he discovered that he is the dad of Vanessa Woodfield's baby son Johnny - not Adam Barton as everybody first thought.
Once the news of Johnny's true paternity and Rakesh's unforgiveable meddling has sunk in, Kirin (Adam Fielding) becomes determined to prove that he has what it takes to support Johnny.
Unfortunately, Kirin doesn't cope too well with his new responsibilities and he can't help feeling jealous when he sees the natural bond that Adam (Adam Thomas) still has with the youngster.
Michelle Hardwick, who plays Vanessa, revealed: "Vanessa understands that Kirin would find it difficult. Goodness me, nobody has struggled as much as Vanessa has. It's taken her a long time to bond with the baby too. Adam did so much better than she did when she struggled for the first few months.
"Vanessa can see that Kirin has been thrown in at the deep end and he's also very young. She's there to support him as much as she can, and just be there for him as much as everybody was there for her."
As the pressure becomes too much for Kirin, he takes his frustrations out on Adam by ordering him to stay away from his son from now on.
Kirin later apologises to Adam for being so harsh and takes back his cruel words, which leads to a new-found understanding between the two men as Adam teaches Kirin how to feed Johnny.
However, Adam soon faces heartbreak of his own when he watches the pair together and makes a massive decision. Will Adam realise for himself that he needs to take a step back?

[Telly Watcher]

Emmerdale's Kirin Kotecha makes yet another foolish decision next week, as he gets behind the wheel of a car while drunk.

The troubled teenager goes on a dramatic downward spiral after his dreams of a happy family life are crushed once again.

Kirin (Adam Fielding) has recently been struggling with life as a new dad, but things are about to get a whole lot worse for him when Vanessa Woodfield is diagnosed with the norovirus.

Doctors tell Vanessa that she can't have any contact with baby Johnny for two days, meaning that Kirin will have to be fully responsible for the youngster's care.

Feeling completely out of his depth as he looks after Johnny, it's not long before Kirin loses his temper by screaming in his face. In true soap style, the disturbing moment has a witness when Carly Hope walks in and is horrified by what she sees.

Gemma Atkinson, who plays Carly, revealed: "Carly walks into the house and first of all she can hear really loud rock music that Kirin is playing to drown out Johnny's crying.

"The TV is on, the PlayStation is on and Kirin is shouting directly in Johnny's face while holding him. Carly's maternal and human instincts kick in straight away. She's scared for Johnny and wants to keep him safe. So she intervenes, like anyone would, and does what she thinks is best."

Carly angrily takes Johnny away from Kirin for a while, but once they've both calmed down, she agrees not to tell Vanessa about what happened.

Unfortunately for Kirin, though, Carly's discretion doesn't last for long. When Leyla Harding also falls ill and collapses, an ambulance is called and Carly gets the wrong idea by accusing Kirin of harming Johnny when she spots the emergency services.

Atkinson continued: "When Carly sees the ambulance outside the house, she initially thinks it's for Johnny. She's left Johnny alone with Kirin again, because he's managed to convince her that what happened was just a one-off.

"When Carly sees the ambulance, she just puts two and two together and assumes that something has happened. She runs up to the house screaming, saying that she knew Kirin would do something again. Carly accuses him then and there, right in front of Vanessa.

"Carly does feel a bit bad afterwards when she realises it's a misunderstanding, but she's also just going with her instincts. I think she knows she's done the right thing. It's better to be safe than sorry, especially when there's a baby involved."


© ITV
Leyla is taken to hospital after collapsing


© ITV
Carly accuses Kirin of harming baby Johnny

Kirin finds himself well and truly on the outer once Vanessa hears what happened from Carly, so he seeks comfort by drowning his sorrows.

When his attempts to earn Vanessa's forgiveness backfire, Kirin is clearly in turmoil and speeds off after downing even more booze - narrowly avoiding Brenda Walker in the process.


© ITV
Nikhil tries to stop Kirin driving off but he does so and then nearly hits Brenda with his car

Once Kirin has calmed down following the dangerous debacle, he returns to Vanessa and is pleased when she makes it clear that she's prepared to try again. Can Kirin now prove he has what it takes to be a good father to Johnny?

By Daniel Kilkelly, Digital Spy
http://www.digitalspy.com/soaps/emme...-drink-drives/

[lizann]

he is leaving

[Perdita]

Emmerdale's Kirin Kotecha may be leaving the show - but don't expect his love interest Vanessa Woodfield to move onto another guy too quickly.

Michelle Hardwick, who plays Vanessa, has revealed that she wants her unlucky-in-love character to have some time as a single woman following Kirin's shock exit.

Thursday night's episodes (February 11) saw Kirin accidentally kill Tess Harris in a drunken hit and run. But, rather than the start of a huge new storyline for Kirin, it's been revealed that he'll be leaving our screens for good next week.

Speaking about the departure of co-star Adam Fielding, Hardwick insisted: "It's his choice. We knew ages ago that he was going. So then we were looking forward to the journey of where it was going.

"We knew he wasn't just going to leave in a taxi, so we were looking forward to it happening. And when we read the scripts, we couldn't wait to get on with it. I thoroughly enjoyed it, but Adam will be missed."

Asked whether it's time for Vanessa to find love again, she replied: "No - give her a little break! I'm hoping she'll allow Adam Barton to be part of Johnny's life and that will be a nice little unit. Victoria is brilliant with him as well. That will work.

"Vanessa is going to need help. Because when she does go back to work, she's going to need people supporting her. But as far as another relationship goes, I think for the time being she should concentrate on her son now that she's finally bonded with him.

"Vanessa should just enjoy the time with him. Then juggle being a single mum with work. Because, let's not forget, she's a partner in the vets. Rhona's going to need her too!"

Hardwick also shared some gossip on Kirin's exit scenes, admitting that Vanessa will be baffled when the teenager suddenly wants to walk out on his responsibilities. In reality, he's panicking as his burnt-out car has been found by the police.

She said: "One morning, she wakes up and finds Kirin in the house with his bags packed and a letter on the table. Basically, it's him saying goodbye and that he never wanted a family. He tells her that he doesn't love Johnny and just wants to go. It's just horrendous.

"And of course the audience knows the real reason he's having to go, but Vanessa doesn't. She's had the rug pulled from under her. But it's not too far down the line that the police come knocking on the door and she puts two and two together."