To an actor's defense

After reading my column ‘Talent where art thou’ where I rued the fact that most young actors do not take their work seriously and only concentrate on looks and body, a senior actor called me for a debate on this. She said I was right but justified it saying the actors had a reason to do so, in fact there were many reasons for this. She began. Being an actor herself and having been in the trade for many years she had all the answers. She fired her first salvo at the channel EPs (Executive Producers). She said most actors are upset with these young just-out-of-college students who have no clue what acting is all about but are so powerful that they come to the sets armed with a university degree but no work experience and call the shots. They begin to advise actors on how to emote, what to wear and how to say their lines. In fact they even tell the writers how to write and what to write. In such a scenario how can one expect an actor to do his job well she thundered! Talking of ‘how to emote’, a veteran actor and one of the finest we have has this horror story to share. Some years ago when he was working on a landmark serial which was directed by the talented Ajai Sinha there was a serious difference he had with one of the EPs. The actor says that young and inexperienced EP ordered for a re-shoot of some dramatic sequences which according to both the director and the actor had been shot very aesthetically. The EP argued that the lines on his forehead were very prominent and did not look good on screen and hence the scenes needed to be reshot! Now these are part of any actor’s expressions and add to it. Why should he use make up to hide what only adds to his talent? The actor was so appalled with this unjust demand that he had threatened to walk out. Though truce was called between the warring parties it certainly left a bad mark on his psyche. For those who missed out on my column last week, I was referring to only those actors who have just stepped into the world of acting with no previous background or training. And all those actors who use the medium as a stepping stone to films and think acting is only about looking good that it is not important to know your skills. I was not talking about any established actors. And being so passionate about the small screen I think that if we get actors who mean serious business we are sure to get better quality shows. To take the actor’s cause yet further, my actor friend educated me some more on why actors are not ‘actors’ but stars. She says where is the time to better your craft as most of the time they are given their scripts just minutes before they face the camera. How on earth is it possible to read, understand and translate the script on screen? Point taken! She says it’s the interference by inexperienced EPs, no preparation time given and the not very conducive atmosphere on the sets that adds to an actor’s woes. In such cases it happens that seasoned actors may brave all this but the just-arrived new kid may not be able to deliver under so much pressure and end up doing a shoddy job. And to be fair to them how can they as they are new to this game. In fact many a director has also voiced this concern about channel interference being the major thorn in every creative man’s flesh. How can a creative person give his best when so many undue demands have to be met with? If the channel wants a show to succeed it’s time they changed their tone. When the creative team does not interfere with the working style of a channel, it’s only fair they too be left alone. So now when you switch on to your favourite show and see some actor making a fool of himself remember it’s just not him you have to blame for. Read more...