Today, Parveen Kaur is probably best known for her role as Saanvi Bahl in the supernatural drama Manifest. Like so many of the core cast members, Kaur first came on the show during its first season.And when the show was canceled abruptly the first time, the actress was among those who called for the show to be saved (fortunately for them, Netflix stepped in eventually). Since the show has been allowed to continue its story on Netflix, it was initially unclear if Kaur was going to return to reprise her role. Fortunately for fans, the actress, along with several other cast members, had closed their deals for the show last year.And while everyone waits for Manifest’s new season, one can’t help but be amazed at how far Kaur has gone since getting cast. It’s safe to say the series changed her life forever.
Parveen Kaur Was A Little-Known TV Actress Before Landing ‘Manifest’ Role
Kaur started working as a professional actor back in 2013. Back then, she managed to book minor roles in shows such as Played, Working the Engels, and Defiance. Soon after, Kaur also managed to land a small part in Guillermo del Toro’s fantasy horror series The Strain.
For the actress, getting a gig on a show like this was perfect. “The sci-fi genre is interesting because it’s always been diverse in casting and probably one of the better genres that has an accurate portrayal of people in society, and so naturally I ended up getting my start there,” Kaur told Fear Forever.
“The beauty of sci-fi and horror, is the worlds are so big and as an actor you can really stretch your imagination as far and as wide as you like. The Strain was my first opportunity to do that.”
Kaur had only ended up staying on the show for one season. Soon after, she landed the role of Dr. Asha Mirani in the medical drama Saving Hope. To prepare for it, Kaur spent some time with doctors, particularly the one that she personally sees.
“My family Doctor invited me to come watch him perform a C-section in the ER!” the actress revealed. “It was amazing. Being able to witnessing [sic] life being brought into the world, it was surreal.”
Aside from this, Kaur also briefly appeared in the fantasy drama American Gods. “It was great!” the actress said of the series. “The cast is amazing, the sets were insane– probably the most collaborative show I’ve been on.”
For Parveen Kaur, Landing Her ‘Manifest’ Role Was A Big Deal
Kaur had previously been on TV shows, but from the beginning, she knew Manifest was different. “I mean, this is my first big show, I haven’t done anything remotely close to Manifest,” the actress once told BriefTake. “I hadn’t had too many experiences in being close with a cast.”
At the same time, Kaur loved that the show got to film some of its scenes in New York.
“Oh, we are so privileged to be able to shoot in New York, it is not common for something like this to happen,” she acknowledged. “New York is kind of another character in the show. For me, as a Canadian coming from small town Canada to now live in New York, I mean my first scene I shot outside Manhattan. It was like a dream, and we were very grateful.”
As the show went on, Kaur’s Saanvi certainly became one of the most popular characters on the show. At some point, some even started shipping Saanvi with Josh Dallas’ Ben.
“There are a lot of fans who see romantic chemistry between Saanvi and Ben,” creator Jeff Rake told Buzzy Mag.
“And then if you’re a Saanvi fan, you’re not a Grace [Athena Karkanis] fan; if you’re a Grace fan, you’re not a Saanvi fan. I think it’s interesting that there are a lot of factions in that regard.”
Since Being On ‘Manifest,’ Parveen Kaur Has Landed So Many Other Roles
After being cast on Manifest, Kaur also booked several other series parts. For instance, she made brief appearances in series such as Workin’ Moms and 9-1-1.
Kaur also landed several film roles. These include films such as Edging, Through Black Spruce, Acquainted, and American Hangman.
Meanwhile, fans can expect to see more of Kaur when she reprises her role as Saanvi in the fourth and final season of Manifest.
According to reports, the show’s new episodes may be released sometime in 2022. As for Kaur’s future plans, the actress is determined to go against roles that may stereotype her or other actors like herself.
“I would hope that after doing a show like Manifest, as a South Asian, future roles would break out of that stereotype,” Kaur told Her Campus.
“I’m hoping these roles are only going to be a stepping stone that sees South Asian women and men play outside of the doctor, scientist and nerdy character. I’m going to push for that going forward.”
