Meet Varada Sethu Trivia Quiz

Answer: Kerala

Varada was born in Kerala on May 12, 1992. Both of her of parents are physicians. Varada has a twin sister named Abhaya. Her family moved to England when she was fairly young.

Kerala is in the southwest part of the triangle at the base of India. It is long, but very narrow. Kerala is one of the best places to live in India, based on a variety of economic and social indicators. And it is a popular tourist destination with long beaches.

Answer: Newcastle

Verada won the Miss Newcastle pageant in 2010. At the time she was going by Vee Sethu. The contest is sponsored by a local modeling agency, and Varada did get some modeling jobs after winning.

Varada grew up in Benton, Tyne and Wear, which is in suburban Newcastle. She attended Dame Allan's School, one of Newcastle's more prestigious schools, and was a part of the National Youth Theater.

Answer: University of Bristol

Verada started out studying veterinary medicine before switching to physiology. It does not appear that she has used her degree much, although she has often played police officers, so it may come in handy in forensics scenes.

The University of Bristol was chartered in 1909, but its roots go back to 1595. It is a "red brick university" (a land grant college for Americans). Bristol is a large public university, with 31 thousand students in 2021. Matt Lucas, who played Nardole on "Doctor Who", is a Bristol alumni, as are Jason Isaacs (Lucius Malfoy) and Simon Pegg ("Star Trek", "Mission Impossible").

Answer: The Identity School

The Identity School was founded in 2003 and has campuses in London, Manchester and Los Angeles. It is geared towards training minority students to be professional actors. Two of their most prominent graduates are John Boyega from "Star Wars" and Letitia Wright of "Black Panther".

On the school's website, Varada calls training at IDSA "an invaluable experience with which I have been able to sharpen the skills I already have."

Answer: Dancing

Varada Sethu is a student of classical dance. She is trained in both Bharatanatyam and Mohiniyattam style dance. She actually danced for the talent portion of the Miss Newcastle pageant.

Bharatanatyam comes from Tamil Nadu and dates back almost 2000 years. Mohiniyattam is from Kerala and is named after the temptress avatar of Vishnu. Both dance styles can be seen in carvings at Hindi temples in southern India.

Answer: A Midsummer Night's Dream

Shakespeare's "A Midsummer Night's Dream" is centered around a wedding between Theseus and Hippolyta in Athens. It involves fairies and contains a play within the play. It was written somewhere between 1595 and 1600.

Varada played Peaseblossom in the 2016 BBC version of "A Midsummer Night's Dream." Peaseblossom, an attendant to Queen Titania, is a fairly small role with only four lines.

The 2016 film did give Varada the chance to work with Bernard Cribbins (Wilfred Mott) who played Snout and Matt Lucas (Nardole) who played Bottom. And Russell T Davies attempted to improve Shakespeare, with help from Tenth Doctor David Tennant.

Answer: Now You See Me 2

She played one of the computer technicians who was tracking the Horsemen in "Now You See Me 2" (2016). The role is primarily exposition, keeping the others appraised of what the Horsemen are doing. The Four Horsemen are a group of magicians who were organized to seek justice against big banks and insurance companies.

The movie is a followup to "Now You See Me" (2013). Caine reprises the role of Arthur Troestler, an insurance millionaire fleeced by the Horsemen. He seeks revenge with the help of his son (Daniel Radcliffe). The Horsemen naturally are one step ahead of Troestler, and wind up sending him to prison.

One thing I find interesting is how many heist films Michael Caine has been in, including the original "Italian Job" (1969).

Answer: Hard Sun

"Hard Sun" (2018) starred Jim Sturgess and Agyness Deyn as police officers who uncover a government conspiracy to conceal an extinction level event occuring in five years.

Varada plays Detective Sergeant Ali. She is DS Keith Greener's (Owain Arthur) partner. Greener is a family man and often serves as the show's comic relief. Ali enjoys jogging and an occasional cigarette. She is active in investigating the murders linked to government assassins trying to suppress the ELE story.

Answer: LC Manisha Chetri

"Strike Back" is a British/American series based on the missions of a multi-national group of elite commandos. It started in 2010.

Varada was in 17 episodes during Seasons 7 and 8. "Revolution" is the seventh season. It was set largely in Malaysia. "Vendetta" was the eighth season, set primarily in Eastern Europe.

Lance Corporal Chetri was the communications officer for Section 20, the elite unit at the center of "Strike Back". She was skilled at tracking down terrorists. Chetri was brought on board when the team's communication officer was killed. Chetri frequently filled the "Damsel in Distress" role, often getting captured. Chetri was killed by Russian secret agent Arianna DeMachi, who murdered members of Section 20 in revenge for her husband's death.

Answer: Cinta Kaz

Cinta Kaz was one of the Aldhani rebels, a group sent to infiltrate and disrupt imperial operations on the planet Aldhani. She is the team's medic. Cinta is in the background a lot, but does not have many lines.

Cinta is the lover of Vel Sartha, the leader of the rebel group. "Doctor Who" fans will remember Vel (Faye Marsay) as Shona from "Last Christmas" (2014).

"Andor" tells the pre-story of Cassian Andor, who we first met in "Rogue One" (2016). It covers the five years leading up to the events of "Rogue One." Diego Luna returns as Cassian. The show was highly praised, winning several Emmy nominations, including Outstanding Drama Series. The first season aired in the fall of 2022.