'I love the camera,' says actor Manik Anand

Amritsar to America—how has been the journey so far?

It’s been a journey of growth and experiences, which have brought more life to the art I believe in. Having just a plan A has its own benefits. All the people I got a chance to connect or communicate with from Amritsar to Delhi to Indonesia to Mumbai and finally America have coloured me as a human and as an artist.

You are known as a ‘dramatic performance artist’. Can you elaborate it?

I believe that men can cry and still be men. I take pride in showing vulnerability on screen or on stage, picking up psychological projects that could be very taxing on the psyche. Being in the US has exposed me to many social causes around the world that need addressing and I’m up for that.

Any challenges that you faced performing on international stage?

Sheet Music was my biggest battle as my training had been in Indian classical from Pt Suresh Wadekar’s institute. However, I got trained in western music as well which gave me an edge. Also, things become easy when you have supremely talented co-artists.

How did your theatre experience help you perform on screen?

Doing everything in one take on stage gave me the confidence to perform on screen. I feel that theatre is way more difficult than movies given the time restrictions to prepare and the live audience. Being on screen seems like a cakewalk post theatre experience.

Tell us about your recent show Udan Patolas. What’s your role in it?

This was one of the most fun projects I did where I played the character of Kaju. I was given complete freedom by the director and writer to do things my own way. I played the brother of one of the four female friends.

Theatre or TV, what’s your favourite medium and why?

You can cheat in theatre but you can’t cheat on camera as the camera picks up everything and I’m a big fan of authenticity, so I’d say TV/films. I love the camera because of the close-ups and there is so much to play with.

Who is your inspiration when it comes to acting?

From Hollywood, it’s Christian Bale. From Bollywood, it’s Irrfan Khan because his acting has always been realistic, which is what I focus on.

Any plan to release your single?

Absolutely! There have been a lot of people who’ve been waiting for it but I’m just waiting for the right lyrics.

What are your upcoming projects?

I’m working on some musicals. One of them is based on Bhangra and the other one would be the karate kid on Broadway, if all goes well. I’m finding my way into the TV industry in the US.