DRAMA in Real Life

Likewise,Deepak Dobriyal impressed us as the affable,fun-loving friend of R Madhavan in Tanu Weds Manu and won as much accolades as the film’s lead actors. It has been a long but fruitful journey for the theatre actor who was first seen as the naïve bridegroom Rajju in Vishal Bhardwaj’s Onkara. Dobriyal is now playing the male lead in Ram Gopal Varma’s Not A Love Story.

Similarly,young artistes like Namit Das,Anand Tiwari,Neil Bhoopalam,Ali Fazal and Shivani Tanksale,who earlier started off with small roles,are now getting more screen space in films and are being noticed for their acting prowess. Screen spoke to theatre actors,filmmakers and casting directors to find out what has propelled this trend.

New- wave cinema demands new faces

One of the major reasons is the new wave of movies that is dominating Hindi cinema.Many films that are being made today are neither conventional ‘love stories’ nor are they driven by the hero and heroine alone. Newer subjects demand younger artistes who are not only good actors but can also blend in well with the cast and make the film look realistic. Cases in point are movies like Peepli [Live that featured theater artistes in lead as well as character roles and Raajneeti,wherein stage actors were especially cast even for crowd scenes in order to make the film look authentic.

Namit Das,who impressed everyone as Ranbir Kapoor’s best friend in Wake Up Sid,says,“Today cinema has become more realistic and it is the demand of the script that compels filmmakers to cast young faces. It’s not like the ‘90s where you cast the actor first and then weave a story around him. Now if the story demands a good-looking actor,directors will audition models,similarly if they need a relatively new face who can also perform well,they will cast a theater artiste.”

Casting directors have increasingly started scouting theater venues and watching plays to spot some bright talent.For instance: Das was called for an audition for Wake Up Sid after a casting director saw his play. Likewise,Bhoopalam,who made his debut in Raj Kumar Gupta’s No One Killed Jessica,bagged one of the main leads in Bejoy Nambiar’s Shaitan after the filmmaker liked his performance in a play.

Casting director Atul Mongia,who has scouted talent for Love Sex Aur Dhokha,Ragini MMS,Shor In The City and Shanghai,says that theater actors have more experience than new artistes and are therefore a safe bet. “We have only a handful of stars. For a young filmmaker it is not only difficult to access them but they are also very conscious about enhancing their brand as a star.Naturally,they won’t like to take a risk and act in a ‘different’ kind of film. So directors are constantly looking for fresh talent. And the movies they are striving to make has strong content so they prefer theater actors as these performers have more experience and exposure.”

A talented lot

Stage artistes are also cast as they are disciplined about their work,professional in their approach and it’s easier for them to make the transition from plays to films. More often than not,rather than focussing on their looks,they are concerned about doing a scene well. Validating this point,director Raj Nidimoru,who cast Amit Mistry and Radhika Apte in his recent film Shor In The City,says,“These actors have strong fundamentals. They are dedicated and are seasoned to perform in different conditions. Since they usually learn all the dialogues by-heart before performing in a play,it doesn’t take them much time to learn the dialogues before a shot and deliver them effortlessly.”

Since theater is an actor’s medium where artistes have to perform in front of the live audience,it makes them confident. Consequently,it also helps them to make the transition to films as they are accustomed to performing without any inhibitions. They have a clear diction,they can emote well and have fluid body movements. Mongia says,“Unlike a model,who can be quite stiff in front of the camera as far as emoting is concerned,a stage actor has the upper hand. Since they are also used to performing on a wide stage where there are no restrictions on their movements,they have an easy body language and look completely natural.”

It also proves to be conducive for filmmakers to cast such actors as it helps them to be more pro-active. Nambiar,whose debut film Shaitan had three stage actors in the main leads,believes that these artistes not only bring a unique approach but also inspire filmmakers to perceive their work differently. He explains,“These actors have a lot of depth and intensity. They come prepared on the sets and you can’t take them for granted. They ask you a lot of questions and are keen to study the graph of their role and internalise their character. This also keeps the filmmaker on his toes as the latter focusses more on fleshing out the character.”

Money matters

Apart from this,these performers are a natural choice especially since they are more feasible than models or relatively-known faces. However,while filmmakers are a little squeamish about accepting this,the artistes in question are more forthcoming. As Anand Tiwari,who became the face of Tata Tea’s Jaago Re campaign and was seen in Kites and Udaan,says,“Filmmakers have limited budgets and it’s not possible for them to cast stars. So they approach theater actors instead.”

However,explaining the logistics,Nidimoru says that casting such artistes proves to be lucrative for the director as well as the producer. He admits,“At the end of the day,every producer invests in a film to make money. But as a relatively new filmmaker,when we are not making potboilers and are attempting to do something different,we are taking a huge risk. In this regard,casting theater actors works for both — directors as well as producers. The producer knows that these artistes won’t charge a bomb while directors get an opportunity to explore new talent.”

Has theater replaced modelling?

The increasing number of theater artistes in films also compels one to think if theater has replaced modelling and now become a shortcut to films. But on a closer look,when one watches television commercials,one notices that these artistes are a common fixture in advertisements too. For instance,while Tiwari is seen in the Minute Maid Nimbu ad,Das has appeared in the latest Colgate gel ad,Bhoopalam is the new face of Peter England and Tanksale is seen in the I-pill commercial.

Apart from being an easy avenue of earning money,advertisements also helps these actors to get noticed and get comfortable in front of the camera. As Tanksale says,“Theater helps you to practice your skill,especially in advertisements where you have to emote as best as you can within a short span of time.”

Striking a balance

It might be easy to assume that after getting a break in films,these theater actors might forget their roots and get bitten by the big-screen bug. But that is not the case. Most of them are striving to strike a balance between plays and movies. For instance,Tiwari,who is currently working as an assistant director with Anurag Basu on Barfee and aspires to be a filmmaker soon,says,“I don’t like to think of theatre as a shortcut to anything. I do theater because I love doing it. If I was rich and didn’t have to work to earn a living,I would have done more plays. Having said that,films have their own place. I love acting in them too. The whole process of shooting disjointed scenes keeping the whole story in mind and so on is another ballgame.”

Likewise,Das,who has been performing in plays since over a decade,is now acting in Sunil Shanbag’s play Stories In A Song and will soon be hosting the second season of Axe Your Ex on Channel [V. “I don’t want to focus only on films,or TV or theater. I enjoy entertaining people. Honestly,the medium doesn’t matter. With a diverse spate of films and subjects,there might soon be a phase when there will be a peaceful coexistence between theater artistes and film actors. After all,a good actor always finds a stage to perform!”

Six theater actors who have been seen on-screen recently

*ALI FAIZAL (24):

Fame on stage: Girish Karnad’s Hayavadana,Akarsh Khurana’s A Guy Thing

Was first seen on-screen: 3 Idiots

Claim to fame: Roshan Abbas’ Always Kabhi Kabhi

* NEIL BHOOPALAM (28):

Fame on stage: Rajat Kapoor’s Hamlet The Clown Prince,Akarsh Khurana’s A Guy Thing

Was first seen on-screen : No One Killed Jessica

Claim to fame: Shaitan

Future projects: Ram Gopal Varma’s Not A Love Story

* ANAND TIWARI (28):

Fame on stage: Sunil Shanbag’s Dreams Of Taleem,Naseeruddin Shah’s By George!

Was first seen on-screen: The President Is Coming

Claim to fame:Udaan,Kites,Aisha.

Future projects:Shashank Ghosh’s Daana Paani,Veena Bakshi’s Coffin

Maker

* RADHIKA APTE (25):

Fame on stage: Anahita Oberoi’s Bombay Black,Mohit Takalkar’s Kashmir Kashmir

Was first seen on-screen: Vaah! Life Ho To Aisi

Claim to fame: Antaheen,I AM,Shor In The City

Future projects: Akash Khurana’s Life On Life,Amol Palekar’s Samaantar

* NAMIT DAS (26):

Fame on stage:Rajat Kapoor’s Hamlet The Clown Prince,Sunil Shanbag’s Stories In A Song

Was first seen on-screen : The President Is Coming

Claim to fame: Wake Up Sid

Future projects: Deven Khote’s Phillum City,Anand Gandhi’s Bal Hila

* SHIVANI TANKSALE (30):

Fame on stage: Mahabanoo Modi Kotwal’s Vagina Monologues,Lillette Dubey’s A Funny Thing Called Love

Was first seen on-screen: The President Is Coming

Claim to fame: Shaitan

Future projects: Milan Luthria’s Dirty Picture

(With inputs from Priya Talwar)