Star Had to Film New Hallmark Movie 5 Days After Baby Was Born: ‘Full On Panic’

Just five days after becoming a first-time father, “Grey’s Anatomy” and “Never Have I Ever” alum Rushi Kota had to be in Vancouver to film his first Hallmark movie, “Make Me a Match,” which premieres on June 24, 2023, as part of the network’s June Weddings programming lineup. The seasoned actor, who will also appear opposite Seth Rogan in the feature film “Dumb Money” this fall, has said nothing could have prepared him for the stress of juggling being a brand new parent and tackling his first lead role in a movie at the same time.

After wrapping the movie this spring, Kota wrote on Instagram, “These past 4 weeks were wild AF! Still processing the magnitude of everything.”

Now that he is back home in California with his wife, Reeshelle Sookram Kota, and their newborn, the new dad is reflecting on what a crazy ride it’s been ahead of his Hallmark debut, in which he stars opposite “When Calls The Heart” alum Eva Bourne. Here’s what you need to know:

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Rushi Kota Says He Was ‘Freaking Out’ Before Filming ‘Make Me a Match’

On March 19, Kota shared photos from the hospital celebrating the birth of his firstborn.

“We still can’t believe you are real,” he wrote. “Thank you for gracing us with your presence.”

But within days, the new dad had to board a plane for Vancouver to film “Make Me a Match,” which he told HOLR Magazine is “the first South Asian rom-com for Hallmark, written by an amazing Indian writer named Nikhil S. Jayaram.”

Directed by Heather Hawthorne Doyle, the movie follows Bourne’s character, Vivi, as she falls for Kota’s character Boom, the son of an Indian matchmaker she hires. Though Kota has had nothing but positive things to say about working with the Hallmark cast and crew, the experience of becoming a new dad days before filming was a stress unlike any other.

“Honestly, it was a hell of an experience,” he told Digital Journal. “As an actor, I was filled with tremendous growth and joy. However, I had a lot of anxiety the two weeks prior to shooting because this was my first lead in a movie, and my wife was due to give birth to our first baby.”

Kota told Just Jared he was in “full on panic” mode before filming began because he “wanted to be as fully memorized and prepared for my character as much as possible,” which is tough to do with a newborn.

He told the outlet, “I just remember the week before we got onto set, and I talked to my acting coach, where I told them I had no idea what I’m doing right now. I don’t know who this guy is. I’m full on freaking out.”

But once Kota arrived on set and began working with Bourne and Hawthorne Doyle, all of his fears subsided.

He told Digital Journal, “Luckily, everything ended up working out and I got to spend a week with my newborn son before shooting began and once I landed in Vancouver, I was relieved at how organized everything was. Hallmark knows how to put these groups of people together to create a wonderfully collaborative space.”

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Rushi Kota Reflects on Profound Personal Growth That Happened During Filming ‘Make Me a Match’

After the three-week shoot for “Make Me a Match” wrapped, Kota shared on April 17 what a transformative month it had been for him.

“I was everything everywhere all at once trying to figure out what the universe was telling me before I reminded myself to go with the flow,” he wrote on Instagram. “Pushed through all the anxiety. Will I get be able to pull this off? Am I ready for this responsibility in my personal and professional life? Can I do this? Also, where is my Earl Grey Tea with Oat Milk?”

Kota continued, “I made more growth as a human in the last 4 weeks than I had in my whole life and I couldn’t have done it without everyone holding down the fort at home and at work (which actually should be called Play, cause we are playing other people on screen. I ll leave that for another post…)”

The actor went on to thank the “amazing people” he worked with, saying he had the “time of my life” filming the movie. He told FanSided that he’d always wanted to do a rom-com, and how much fun he had playing the lead role once he got used to it.

“In all of my previous works, I was always a really large supporting character,” he said. “For the first time, I was the lead in this movie. It was definitely anxiety-fueled and daunting to all of a sudden be number one on the call sheet and I’m like, ‘Oh, my God. So much responsibility.’ Once I was able to really get my hooks into the script and into the character, I was able to have a lot of fun and even on set, it was a dream come true.”

“Make Me a Match” premieres on Hallmark Channel on June 24 at 8 p.m. Eastern time.

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