Strini Pillai - MC, Presenter
and Actor - Johannesburg
Actor and singer Strini Pillay made his TV soapie
debut as the new journalist on '7de Laan', one of
SA's most popular Afrikaans soapies. Here he answers
a questions to give us an insight into him.
What has it been like to work as a cast member of
7de Laan?
The show operates under a meticulous system, unlike
Generations and Scandal!, as 7de Laan has a
different approach to the genre which sees us
working more closely with the director, almost like
a theatre production. All in all, it's been great
fun.
Strini Pillai
Born in Cape Town, Strini Pillai was singing and
acting by the age of four. By seven he had already
become a regular entertainer at school productions
as well as at local homes for the aged and
orphanages. He hit the Cape Town club scene at the
age of 12, 'wowing' audiences with golden oldies,
Jazz, Blues, Pop and Rock.
By 1994 Strini had expanded
his repertoire to include all the performing
platforms of stage, film, radio and television,
making him a household name locally and abroad. Just
two weeks after being appointed as an M-Net domestic
continuity announcer, Strini was also appointed an
announcer on M-Net Africa and Movie Magic.
At the same time he was entertaining and educating
children nation-wide as the puppeteer and voice of
SABC 1’s mega character Mr. Chinwag on Kideo.
1996 saw Strini performing in the controversial
stage production 'Dinner Talk' as well as
various other musicals in prominent theatres.
Stini’s own production called 'Intimate' ran
for eight months and audiences got to see his range
of talents while he performed cover songs as well as
original work, danced and showcased his comedic
abilities.
Strini has become one of the most popular actors
across the colour spectrum, lending himself to radio
and television as a voice over artist for
commercials and acting on hit shows such as
Egoli, Villa Rosa, Scandal, Home Affairs 1 and
reaching super status as
Devan
on Generations in South Africa. His
effortless ability to flit between comedy and drama
has also contributed immensely to his rise in
popularity.
Strini Pillai
Moving from television to film was a natural step
for Strini and he has played various roles locally
and abroad. He is currently negotiating the sale of
his very own movie script, 'Even Eden' to a
British producer.
Music being another one of Strini’s passions he has
just written, recorded and released his experimental
debut album, 'Raw Canvas' in which he
performs the lead vocals and most of the backing
vocals himself. To date two of the twelve tracks on
the album have made it onto Kaya FM’s top
10 list and 94.7 Highveld Stereo’s
Homebrew top 10, featuring the hottest SA songs
as voted for by the listeners. A second album is
already in the pipeline.
Strini Pillai
When he can, Strini likes to give something back and
does appearances and performances for various
charity events and organisations, including National
Cancer Day and the Sunflower Fund.
As if all of these accomplishments were not enough,
Strini is also the face of the new Indian Channel on
DSTV called Saffron TV,
launched in September 2008. On the new channel
audiences are able to catch Strini hosting a cooking
show, a Sunday Extra Show aligned with the Sunday
Times Extra and a Boys Toys Show featuring
everything from the latest gadgets to super cars.
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Strini Pillai - MC, Presenter
and Actor - Johannesburg
