In Depth Conversation with Ritu Arya

Playing Aria Kishan in The Split Up, the BBC’s new six-part legal drama is no different. Adapted from the makers of the hit series The Split (created by award winning writer Abi Morgan), writer Ursula Rani Sharma brings to life a new family, a new city and a new set of relationships to the charged world of high-net-worth divorce law. In this Manchester-based chapter, Arya steps into the shoes of a brilliant, high-flying family lawyer who finds herself navigating an emotional minefield both inside and outside the courtroom. Leading a prestigious law firm alongside her father and siblings, her character Aria, is adept at dismantling complex marriage dynamics, yet far less equipped to handle the cracks appearing in her own life. As personal grief, family politics, and an unexpected blast from her romantic past collide, her poised professional exterior begins to fracture, forcing her to confront who she has become in response to the huge changes in her life.

The show reminds us that external achievement is a fragile basis for one's self-worth and that life changing moments such as personal loss and divorce, can shake up the very core who we think we are, normalising the need to re-claim a sense of self through life’s messy transitions. Arya delivers a compelling blend of sharp intellect, vulnerability, and quiet resolve, anchoring a drama that is as much about the painful art of self-(re)discovery as it is about the complicated business of breaking up.

Speaking over a late evening Zoom from the set of her next project in South Africa, Ritu Arya offers a candid, thoughtful reflection on self-worth- both her character’s and her own. Embracing change as the only true constant, she personally views worth not as a rigid ideal to hold onto, but a series of anchors that hold you true to who you are, no matter what life throws at you - for her that can be as simple as choosing what makes you feel good.

Nimi Raja (NR): The Split Up is an exciting evolution to the Split with the Northern and South Asian focus, why did you say yes to this specific role when it hit your inbox?

Ritu Arya (RA): Sometimes you don’t even really have to think much about it, you know? If the script comes into your inbox and you read it, you’re just like, I’m going to do this. It’s always about the script for me. I loved Ursula’s [writer: Ursula Rani Sharma] depiction of the characters and how unpredictable it all felt. And I loved Arya – she was such a joy to play. She’s ambitious, compassionate, and messy. There’s so much contradiction in her. She’s a family lawyer who is really, really good at helping others navigate their relationships, but when it comes to her own, she’s a mess. That was so fun to play. The relationship with her family was so interesting to navigate too, from the conflict between her and her dad, and the power games with him, to the way she’s so protective of her sister, but also the banter they have as siblings that just felt so genuine.

NR: The central theme of the show is basically pitted as the tension of navigating “who you should ultimately live your life for” – yourself, your family, your friends – the pressure in between, especially in a South Asian dynamic. How does your character Aria navigate that and find her sense of self-worth, especially since the loss of her mother.

RA: Aria is this very intelligent, hard working woman and she has this very powerful accomplished father, so she has a role model there that she really admires and looks up to. She wants to be him, but she’s also kind of jealous of him so there’s this really heavy tension there. When it comes to a story like this, we’re only seeing a slide of their life right, and in this slice, they’ve just lost their mum. So we’re seeing a lot of behaviours with that undertone, so for her, things are coming out sideways. Would she behave the way she does before the loss of her mother? I don’t know. The family have been brought much closer together because of their grief, but it's also why her father is stalling on progressing with the succession plan. I think their mother was the anchor that the whole family got a lot of their sense of worth from. Now she has gone, Aria is the care-taker for everyone, but it's new, she’s dealing with grief and trying to navigate this new world order. We see her making questionable choices, and who knows if she would have done this before but the loss of her mother has definitely impacted her sense of self worth and sense of duty.

NR: Talking about anchors; where do you personally get a sense of self-worth, as a human, not just in your career?

RA: I think it really is about community; the people we choose to keep around us. It has such a big influence on me, and is such an anchor for my own sense of safety. I can get such imposter syndrome, and sit there telling myself ‘I don’t deserve this’ asking if I’m good enough, all that enters my mind. But when I surround myself with people I love, or people that love me and that I feel safe with, that stuff dissolves and you can work it out together. You only really need a few people.

NR: As an actor with South Asian heritage, taking on these multidimensional roles, you’re challenging a lot of preconceptions and helping others build their own sense of representation and worth. How are you feeling about your role in shifting that narrative in the media?

RA: It's so important for me to contribute to change, that might be changing perceptions but as art goes, storytelling is something that brings people together. It shifts perception, it allows us to express ourselves, and gives people permission to be vulnerable. We get to see different cultures and walks of life, which builds empathy and understanding for one another. That’s a huge reason why I do the work I do.

At the same time, I believe in art for art’s sake. It’s enjoyable and you don’t always need a heavy reason to create or perform. I don’t have all the answers, I’m just feeling grateful and inspired, and looking for opportunities to keep playing different roles and telling different stories. It makes me feel good.

NR: You seem consistently drawn to these complex, multi-layered female characters who fight for their own path. Is that a conscious choice when picking projects?

RA: It’s sometimes hard to know what I’m looking for until I read it and go, Ah, this feels right, I like it. But if I try to articulate it, I’m definitely drawn to contradiction and complication, when a character feels messy and human. Imagine playing someone who made perfect decisions all the time! That’d be boring. No one wants to watch a one-dimensional character. Those flaws and contradictions are what give characters humor and make us care about them.

NR: You studied astrophysics before making the leap into professional acting. Looking back, did making that pivot ever shake your sense of direction or self-worth around expectations, either you put on yourself or from those around you.

RA: It was just about what felt authentic. I always felt like I wanted to act, during school breaks I was reading plays, and on weekends I was performing with my cousins. But I just wasn't done studying and learning about the universe yet! So I kind of knew I’d go study physics first and then pursue the acting thing. I think it came from being young and thinking I can.

NR: What do you hope audiences take away from Aria’s journey in Split Up?

RA: I want people to enjoy the ride she is on, get immersed in all the characters' dilemmas and feel the shock I felt whilst reading it. I hope they feel the relatability of this family that loves each other and also wants to punch each other; the messiness of navigating family business, love lives, searching for excitement alongside safety. And I hope people get a newfound appreciation for those you choose to keep around you and the role they play in your lives. This show really explores all sorts of relationships; healthy and unhealthy, that we get to experience- which is reflective of real life and I guess the worth they shape.

All episodes of the The Split Up are available to stream on BBC iplayer