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Switch on to any channel Sony, Zee, Star or DD and it's quite
unlikely that you'll miss having a glimpse of actress Prachee
Shah. Her acting was noticed in Koshish, Kyunki
Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi, and Kundali and it was
this that landed her the central role of Payal in Sony's new
daily soap Kahin Diya Jale Kahi Dil.
Introduced to the world of classical dance and music when
she was just three years old, Prachee has been bestowed the
prestigious title Shringarmani for her contribution
to the Kathak dance form. She is the youngest dancer in India
to earn this title. A student of Jamnabai Narsee School, in
western Mumbai's Juhu suburb, Prachee's tryst with acting
began during her college days. By the time she passed out
from the Raheja College of Architecture in western Mumbai's
Bandra suburb she already had a well sketched-out role in
Koshish airing on Zee.
Managing her acting and dance routines was fine until recently
when her shooting schedules went haywire with the launch of
two new daily soaps Manzil Apni Apni on Zee and Kahin
Diya Jale Kahin Jiya on Sony which premiered on 30 April
and 1 May respectively. In order to meet the launch deadlines,
Prachee found herself working 20 days and 20 nights at a stretch
managing just two hours of rest a day in between shifts. "In
those two hours I would come home freshen up rest for the
remaining time and then be back on the sets for round-the-clock
shoots," she recalls. She even managed to fit in a dance performance
for the Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation in Mumbai
in between all this.
In the middle of her hectic routine, it was only at around
10 pm that she was able keep time aside for practice at her
home while shuttling between different shoots. Backing out
from the serial was out of question since the unit was banking
on her. The experience has only left her richer with experience.
Looking
somewhat refreshed after three days of rest to recover from
"jetlag of sorts" post the round-the-clock shoots, Prachee
Shah took time off to speak to indiantelevision.com's Harsha
Khot before heading out for yet another shoot, but this time
more determined to make a stand about shooting dates to prevent
similar "fiascos" from recurring.
Excerpts:
You
have a rather diverse background to say the least what with
a background of architecture, dance and singing. Was taking
up acting a calculated move?
In a way, yes. I've often noticed that major dance and
cultural festivals often have either Hema Malini or Meenakshi
Sheshadri's (both filmstars) dance performances as the main
highlight of a show. Often organisers have ignored me for
similar dance and cultural shows despite being the youngest
dancer to be honoured with coveted Shringarmani title.
On asking the reasons for being "sidelined" festival organisers
would point out that the situation was that people bought
tickets only because of the famous actresses' names attached.
Otherwise nobody would be willing to shell out Rs 500 to watch
a performance, however good it might be.
And it is true what they say. During performances at the Jaipur
Mahotsava (December 2000) and at Rang Sharda (14 April) in
Bandra, people actually flocked to get a glimpse of the actress
who has acted in Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi, Kundali
and Koshish Ek Asha who can also happens to dance.
Moreover the response I got backstage had to be seen to be
believed. Isn't it ironic, it never ceases to amuse me, watching
people flock to see the girl who plays these TV characters
dance on the stage but yet do not value 17 years of dedication
that has gone to make the dance possible. The reactions are
mostly 'Oh! You can dance also.'
Coming back to acting. How did you get your first break
in television?
After I won a Miss Bombay Teens contest in '95-'96, as a part
of a gift hamper I got a portfolio done. It came out pretty
well and on the insistence of my friends I gave it to the
event coordinator with the hope of getting some ad assignment.
It just so happened that Ravi Chopra, who was directing a
forthcoming mythological serial, was looking for someone to
portray 'Parvati'. The coordinator asked me to go for an audition.
It was just a day before the actual shoot of the serial was
to begin that I went to meet Ravi Chopra. On getting to know
that I was a classical Kathak dancer, he offered me the role
on the spot. I had no prior acting experience in television
serial, but he assured me it wouldn't be a problem and asked
me if I could come on the sets for a shoot from the very next
day.
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Did
you ever consciously want to get into acting?
No.
Like I just told you it came my way and my father suggested
that there was no harm in giving acting a shot. I had
apprehensions about acting in a mythological serial
based on Amar Chitra Katha since one tends to get labelled.
But once the shoot began it soon faded away
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Who
is your favourite director? What about makes him better compared
to other directors?
Anuragh Bose (director of Koshish). First and foremost his
style of working. He maintains an amiable atmosphere on the
sets. His friendly approach puts everyone on the sets at ease.
His way of shooting scenes which tend to give a 3D effect
with just the right amount of light. He treats it like he
is working for a film. Probably that is the reason the visual
effects of Koshish is quite different from other serials.
For instance, generally in a scene where two people are talking
the takes are very obvious. One master-shot showing the two
people converse, then one close-up of each, a head shot then
again a long shot. But with Bose on the director's seat things
are quite difference. He would go for slow panning shots over
a trolley even if it meant fixing the trolley would take half
an hour more. Then, unlike directors who compromise on shots
in order to meet the shooting deadline, Ashutosh doesn't seem
to compromise on this aspect. He allows the unit to pack up
at 6 PM if that was the time decided and continue the next
day from the point where they broke off.
What difference does a good director make? And have you
experienced both the sides, good and bad directors?
A lot, especially as far as putting the people on the sets
at ease goes. I can site an example which may have nothing
to do with direction but the indicates the approach of the
director to his unit. There are some directors who after the
scene is shot retire to their rooms or stay secluded. I personally
feel that if the director mingles well with the unit it would
cut down a lot on the efforts wasted in silly hesitations.
It generally happens that I wonder whether the director's
direction is to be taken as an order expected to be obeyed
or can I approach him with a suggestion. Would it anger him
or would he welcome it?
What does acting mean to you. How do you work on you acting
skills?
Acting means expressing yourself and reacting to the character
opposite you as naturally as possible but in situations that
are completely imaginary. It requires a tremendous amount
of concentration, and a certain strength. And for that you
need to be in touch with yourself. I don't think acting is
an effort really. I have been performing before audiences
for a number of years through my dance recitals and that takes
care of more than 60 per cent of whatever effort has to be
put into a shot. The only thing that one has to be particular
about is that in a close up take the eye levels are different.
Usually you get a hang of it in due course of time.
You
say dancing on stage has made acting easy. Could you tell
us more on this?
Since I have been giving stage performances for a long
while, facing the audience as well as the camera is almost
second nature. A silent solo dance performances lasts for
anywhere between two to three hours, and the story has to
be conveyed to the audience though the body and facial expressions.
So shooting a scene isn't very different from what I do on
stage.
What are the things that you had to do
in order to overcome lack of acting experience?
I worked on my voice. Earlier I used
to take Urdu diction, which helped me in singing and also
helped in improving my Hindi and dialogue delivery.
How do you prepare for a shoot?
Generally I want the script at least a day in advance,
but that's not always possible, so it is at the pre-production
discussion session that I try and get a better picture about
the graph of the character.
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From the point of director's cue "roll"… to till he says,
"cut" what goes on in your mind?
I simply switch into the character's profile. Act
and react the way character would.
Hopping from one location to another for shoots of
different serials, how do you maintain the graph of the
character?
Considering the familiarity in the location, the ambience,
the unit, everything seems déjà vu and the character effortlessly
comes by the moment I walk onto the location. |
How did you get yourself into a situation where you were
working continuously for 20 days and 20 nights together?
I had already given the dates for three serials that are
already on air. Meanwhile I did a pilot for Manzil Apni
Apni and Kahin Diya Jale Kahin Dil, and both of
them got approved at the same time. Since the Manzil Apni
director is the same as in Koshish there was an understanding
that the dates would be shuffled between the two. But things
did not work out that way. My inexperience in dealing with
daily soaps all added up to a regular mess. And since the
bank of 20 episodes had to be done, they simply had to be
done since the telecast dates were already announced.
Among the roles that you've enacted which was the most challenging?
The one of Payal in Kahin Diya Jale Kahin Dil.
On the her wedding day there is a dramatic turn in her life
where her mother-in-law is unwilling to accept her because
of her past while her husband is adamant he will marry her
though he is in love with somebody else. In such a situation
the character is fighting against her in-laws, her husband's
lover, her own past and trying somehow not to hurt anyone.
So the challenge lies in portraying the way she deals with
everybody individually with varying intensities.
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How
would you have handled this situation had it been in real-life?
I would have backed out of the
marriage since there is no point in marrying someone who
is in love with somebody else. It doesn't make any sense
and I would have told the prospective bridegroom so.
Of
the roles you have done, which one do you relate to?
The
character in Koshish. She is patient, simple and
innocent.
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What are your future plans?
Right now I'm working in serials but eventually I want to
teaching dancing. Maybe open a dancing class.
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