PETALING JAYA: A Malaysian actress has landed a role on the popular American television series, 'Gotham'.

Kuala Lumpur-born Shiva Kalaiselvan (pic), who is now based in New York, has been cast as Lelia, a recurring character in the show.

She made her debut on March 29 in the episode 'A Dark Knight: One of my Three Soups'.

"I'm the leader of the female contingent of the League of Shadows. Rules and loyalty are big for her. She is someone that holds true to the teachings of the League and stands by them no matter what," Shiva, 34, said about her character in an e-mail interview.

The League of Shadows are a group of assassins featured on Gotham, a television series that tells the stories of several characters from the 'Batman' comic series.

Asked how she felt, Shiva said the experience was surreal, as she had always wanted to be on the show.

"I don't exactly know what I would call the feeling. It's more than happy or joyous. You dream of opportunities like this in this business, and you have an idea of what it is going to be like when you get it. But it's more than that. I couldn't have imagined this experience," she said.

Her experience on Gotham, she said, had been amazing.

"I did get to meet most of the cast – either through working on scenes with them or while we were getting our hair or makeup done. Everyone was AMAZING! Incredibly friendly and welcoming," Shiva said.

While in Malaysia, she appeared in several local theatre plays, including 'After Juliet', 'Indicinelive IV' and 'Malaysian Girls'.