Stage act
Television actor Manav Gohil, who made a name for himself with shows like Kahaani Ghar Ghar Kii, Kasautii Zindagii Kay, Sarkar, Remix and Kkusum, has entered theatre in a bid to reinvent himself

Manav Gohil’s debut play Mareechika is a Marwari adaptation of Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen’s The Lady from the Sea

FOR small screen star Manav Gohil, "Theatre has always been something that I have wanted to do. As an actor, if I only do what is available to me on TV and not grow, then my career will be finished very soon."

Manav, who also did Darmesh Darshan’s movie Bhanwra, which has not been released yet, says, "For me, to learn and reinvent myself is very important and theatre is something I have always regarded as the paramount school for acting. So that’s how I decided to shift in that direction," he added.

His debut play Mareechika is a Marwari adaptation of Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen’s The Lady from the Sea, in which he has worked with Ila Arun and K.K. Raina. The play was recently staged in New Delhi and Jaipur.

"This play is very interesting and it has a lot of music and dance," says the 36-year-old, who will also be working on another play soon but doesn’t want to divulge the details right now.

Manav finds theatre challenging. "It is challenging because it is not well paying like TV. Money is not great. So the trading of your time is not equivalent to the money. But the compensation is high. The growth and satisfaction that you derive from theatre completely overpowers other things," he adds.

"The second challenge is that as a TV actor you have to shed all your baggage — whatever you know, your perception about yourself and how people perceive you. You have to start as a beginner all over again and just give yourself in the hands of the director, who has been doing it for years." So did he learn anything new? "There are a few things that I have learnt. I have realised the importance of projection of voice, throw of voice, clarity of speech and the effortlessness in delivering a dialogue, among other things," says Manav.

The actor also specified theatre will not be an on-off project. "I would love to continue with theatre because the journey that I go through while preparing for a play is very exciting and a learning process," adds the actor who is not averse to television.

"Six years back television was different. Things have changed, faces have changed and tastes have changed. I have by choice reduced my TV presence because I want to do what I like. I am open to good shows," adds Manav. — IANS

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