The man behind the role

Interactive Discussion

In an attempt to understand actors and their craft, an event called ‘The Actor’ was hosted in the City recently.

This talk plus workshop, which featured a conversation between Saad Khan from Centerstage and actor Adil Hussain, was inspiring and intriguing in many ways.

The different questions that the actor was asked were answered in a prompt and to-the-point manner and he explained the nuances of acting. Adil Hussain said, “An actor is a person who’s able to reproduce an action with freshness and intensity.” This actor, who has done theatre, stand-up comedy and films, shared his experience about the different roles he’s portrayed.

“Everyone’s free to do what they wish to do. If the director tells them to do something and they’re ready to do that, then it’s good that it works for them. What matters is what one thinks of oneself.”

 He also said that he prefers the word ‘role’ rather than ‘character’ as it seems like a wider time.

He said, “A role is where an actor has to be like water, which is transparent, quenches one’s thirst and flows into a vessel to adapt to the shape perfectly.”

The format of the show was interactive and involved a larger audience.

Saad Khan said, “Being a film-maker, I’ve always had the chance to interact with many actors. This format is to explore how an actor thinks and the deeper go-abouts of acting. Most people associate an actor with his role, but this is a chance to know the person too. We were very happy that we were able to get Adil for the first episode.”
 
He added that this is a great opportunity for theatre students and others to learn from, talk to and interact with an actor.

Maaz Khan from Centerstage, said, “This media format is to help one understand the craft and the person behind it. It is often not possible for people down south to get access to Bollywood and this format aims to create a platform for such interaction.”
The students and participants of the workshop were deeply impressed by the class and the knowledge gained from the interaction.

Ketan Kumar, a network engineer, who attended the workshop, said, “It was nice to see the whimsical and philosophical side of Adil Hussain. While people may only identify him for his roles in English Vinglish, ‘Life of Pi’ and other movies, we were lucky to see another shade of him. He explained to us how simple acts of breathing can influence one’s acting and delivery of emotions.”

Ketan also feels that this experience helped highlight the need of confidence in
oneself.

Amritaa Shankar, another participant at the workshop, felt that not only did this experience help her with her acting skills, it also taught her the importance of having an open mind. 
“The interaction with Adil helped me with my outlook on life, not only from the acting point of view but also for personal growth,” she said.