'Theatre has helped me grow as an actor'

Creative pursuits

Just over a year old in the world of theatre, actor Zoa Morani says that while she is yet to play a “challenging role”, the medium has helped her grow as an actor immensely.

“I have acted in six plays, enacting such diverse characters, that I feel I have learnt something new each time. Theatre is a new experience, and I am thoroughly enjoying it,” says Morani, who will be starring in Do Deewane Sheher Mein, a play directed by Kalyani Hiwale, and presented by Mahesh Bhatt.

Talking about her role in the romantic comedy based on renowned playwright William Shakespeare’s Two Gentlemen of Verona, Morani tells Metrolife that she plays a happy-go-lucky character of a 22-year-old girl who is “head over heels” in love.

“However, not many know that I also play the role of a babaji (sage) as I set out on a quest to find out what my boyfriend is up to,” laughs the actor who made her Bollywood debut with Shah Rukh Khan’s production Always Kabhi Kabhi.
While she expresses her enthusiasm for theatre, Morani is quick to add that her “heart and soul” lie in movies.

“There is no denying that I love performing on stage in front of a live audience, but movies will always be my first love. However, that does not mean that I will discontinue doing theatre, because it is this medium which has helped me grow as an actor, and continuously challenged me,” says the artiste who was last seen in Bhaag Johnny, also starring Kunal Khemu.

She continues, “I had completed shooting for Bhaag Johnny, but had some patch work left to do. In the meanwhile, I did some plays. So when I went back on the sets, everybody said that I had evolved and undergone tremendous change.”

The play will open on the 400th death anniversary of the Bard of Avon, and also stars actor Imran Zahid. It will be staged on April 23 at the Stein Auditorium, India Habitat Centre.