‘Not nepo kid, can’t afford mistakes’: Arunachal actor Celine Tengam Koyu

For Arunachal Pradesh’s Celine Tengam Koyu, the journey into acting was never part of a grand plan. Instead, it unfolded gradually, almost by chance.

Her early life was rooted in the quiet rhythm of the country’s easternmost state, before education took her to Shillong and later to Rajiv Gandhi University in Itanagar.

“I was born in Seppa and grew up in Pasighat. I did my schooling and graduation in Shillong, and completed my master’s from Rajiv Gandhi University,” she says.

The eldest among four siblings and the only daughter, Celine describes herself as deeply connected to her family, with whom she remains closely knit.

Today, she finds herself in Mumbai, having moved just weeks ago, taking her first full steps into an industry she once never imagined being a part of.

From campus to camera

Acting was not always part of the plan. In fact, Celine had set her sights on a very different path.

“I didn’t have any passion for acting during my university days. I just wanted to finish my master’s and maybe pursue a PhD or prepare for the civil services,” she says.

It was during her university years that a nudge from friends changed everything. Encouraged to participate in Miss Arunachal Pradesh, she went on to win the title and later competed in Miss India, an experience that opened unexpected doors.

“From there, I started getting a few ad and small project offers. But I came back home to prepare for my Public Service Commission (PSC) exams,” she recalls.

Celine went through nearly eight rounds of auditions before landing the role in The Viral Fever’s (TVF) Aspirants.

Chance call, career shift

While preparing for the civil services, life took an unexpected turn for Celine. “I received a call to audition for the role of Deepa in Aspirants. After that, I felt like trying something new. There were also issues like paper leaks in exams, and I thought I should give new opportunities a chance,” she says.

With no prior expectations, Celine went through nearly eight rounds of auditions before landing the role in The Viral Fever’s (TVF) Aspirants.

“I didn’t even know it was for Aspirants when I auditioned. After getting selected, the whole experience was completely new for me,” she admits.

Interestingly, the role mirrored her life in many ways. “You can say I was an aspirant in real life, and I was cast as an aspirant in the series,” she adds with a smile.

Aspirants Season 2, released in October 2023, marked her debut, and the response encouraged her to take acting seriously.

“After doing Season 2, I knew I had to do more. I really enjoyed acting and wanted to pursue it further,” she says. The decision led her to undergo training in both theatre and screen acting.

Now, with Season 3 released on March 13, 2026, and receiving positive reviews, Celine Tengam Koyu says she is both grateful and hopeful. “I am really happy with the response. I hope to get more meaningful projects in the future,” she adds.

Mumbai dreams, bitter truths

Though she recently moved to Mumbai, most of Celine’s auditions so far have been conducted from Arunachal Pradesh. “I didn’t face any discrimination during auditions because they were all happening from my hometown,” she says. However, she acknowledges the darker realities of the industry.

“I have heard about the casting couch from friends. They always say that if someone talks about ‘compromise’, you should just walk away,” she adds.

While she has not faced racism within professional spaces, her experiences outside the set have been different. “On set, I’ve never faced discrimination. But outside, it’s a different story. People don’t recognise you, and that’s when racism happens,” she says.

Recalling a recent incident in Mumbai, she says, “Some kids, maybe seven or eight years old, threw a bag of water at me and my friends and ran away. Maybe it was a joke for them, but it’s not for us.”

For Celine, such incidents reflect a broader reality. “I think it’s part of daily life for many people from the Northeast living outside the region. At least once, they go through this,” she adds.

 Encouraged to participate in Miss Arunachal Pradesh, she went on to win the title

Beyond stereotypes

Celine is candid about how the Northeast is portrayed in mainstream content and what, she believes, needs to change. “I feel new stories need to be written. People from the Northeast are not confined to the region, we are everywhere, in Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai and Kolkata, for studies and work,” she says.

She points out that the region is often reduced to a visual backdrop rather than being represented through its lived realities.

“We’ve seen the Northeast used as an aesthetic setting, but we rarely hear our stories - what we go through, what we feel. It doesn’t always have to be serious; even comedy can come from our experiences,” she says.

More importantly, she questions the narrative lens frequently adopted in mainstream storytelling. “Why do we always need a main character from mainland India to be a saviour for the Northeast? We are capable of telling our own stories. We can fight our own battles,” she asserts.

What she hopes for, she says, is simple yet powerful, “We need a strong lead character from the Northeast who can represent us authentically.”

Charting her own path

As a newcomer in the industry, Celine Tengam Koyu is cautious about her next steps. “I don’t want to typecast myself. Often, once you do a certain role, you get offered similar roles,” she says.

Being an “outsider” in the industry, she is mindful of the importance of making considered choices early in her career. “I’m not a nepo kid, so I need to make good decisions from the start,” she adds.

For now, she is taking her time, exploring, learning and growing. From a civil services aspirant to portraying one on screen, Celine’s journey is as unexpected as it is inspiring. If her trajectory so far is any indication, she is only just getting started.