[Reader-list] Reel Life and Real Life - by INDU VERMA

[Indu Verma]

Real life and Reel life
  Third Posting by: INDU VERMA
   
   
  Not an apt statement for me to use, but......
   
  I am a 'Non-Actor' in Reel life 
  and...
  I am a perfect 'Actor' in Real life. 
   
  Don't be surprised, the fact is that to be a good Actor you should ideally not act in front of the camera. You got to live the scene.... the emotion.... the moment.... you must become the character.
   
  On the other hand, as you are already living the moment, you can afford to act in Real life. Well, I guess that we all do.  Anything which is consciously intended can easily pass as Acting.  
   
  Real to Reel:
   
  Apart from taking emotions from the Real life, we do take or carry a lot of other things while we face the camera. What is that?  It is the family... the sleep... the health... the mood swing...the finance... and not to miss- the mobile phone. All of it lives with us while the camera rolls. Any Actor not getting affected by any such thing is a rare breed. 
   
  But still Actors live two characters at the same time. Because Actors supposedly get into another character but do not stop living their own character. Well, I don't  literally mean breathing your own self but observing the act you are doing, which would mean observing things like -the right emotion you play, right lines and most importantly your ear to hear 'Action and Cut'. There is a very thin line between this so called transformation, where one transforms, but actually doesn't.
   
  Now for me, this transformation starts as I head for the shooting location. As most of the Actors make their hobby of Acting as their profession, the burden of going for work is generally not there. 
  I get a kick as I drive to the sets. It is a proud feeling which stays till you are back home (sometimes it stays forever).  As I reach the set, it is a different space where I get in, with a feeling to perform. Hunger for recognition gets into the nerves. As the spot boys start getting mineral water and tea, the transformation reaches yet another level.  This is even before I get my scene. This is the Actor's role I start to play. What I mean is that after reaching the set and before the camera rolls I am yet a different character. I am not what I am. It is the high which Actors get when they are looked after with some extra special care. The special treatment makes them feel above others. 
   
  Then starts the physical transformation, where I start wearing make-up and costume. It is a genuine change of appearance which starts to play on my mind. As I get the scene, I start to memorize and then is the wait for the call. As I rehearse the lines with the Co-Actor in the actual space, before the  take,  I start to get the idea of the extent of possible transformation. But for me, the roll call does the trick. It takes the most which I always hold back in rehearsals. Once the shot is over, I come back into the Actor's role which continues till I leave the sets.
   
  Reel to Real:
   
  Then starts the real acting which is the real me seeking attention from the family. Being pampered after a long day of shoot is the motivation. One can say, that it is a natural instinct but believe me, we Actors still can do it better. I even bargain on the amount of attention I want. 
   
  Many a times I subconsciously carry the same facial expressions which I used for the character I played on my shoot. This is a rather interesting aspect that I noticed very recently. As individuals we have a limited stock of expressions. Out of this stock, we as Actors tend to pick up the expressions we feel are needed for a part being played by us. The same expressions are then used in real life situations unintentionally, thus blurring the divide between the two personae. You can call it an Actor's hangover, but it is unavoidable. Some actors accept it, others do not.
   
  One of the easiest way to witness an Actor's hangover is to observe a popular Actor in a public space. You can most of the time witness a subtle transformation taking place in the same person who looked so normal just a little while back! Most Actors (including me) are a victim of this confusing phenomena. So, we have a Soap Bahu acting like an Ideal Bhartiya Naari in public gatherings, we have a TV Action Hero giving out Superman smiles (without any reason) to people around him, and we have a God from TV Mythology playing Mr. Know-All & treating his fans as lesser mortals. DONT LAUGH!... WE ARE TALKING ABOUT PSYCHOLOGICALLY CHALLENGED PEOPLE.
   
  Well, I am no exception to this confused state. Let me give you an example:
   
  Sometime back, I was on a visit to Pune with my husband. One day on some trivial issue we picked up an argument. As we stood on the road side trying to convince each other, a crowd started to gather around. First there were some kids, then they were joined by their mothers and then came some men. The crowd kept getting bigger. We were so involved in talking and arguing with each other that we almost forgot that I was a TV star and these people were slowly recognizing me! Soon the kids started to get their autograph books between me and my husband. They cared a damn about our conversation. As my husband gave a confused look, I slowly transformed into my TV character and started to sign autographs with my trademark smile. Our argument evaporated in thin air as I got mobbed by a hundred people. It took us some time to realize what was happening and as the fan following began to reach dangerous levels, my husband pulled me into an Auto Rickshaw and we bid goodbye to a memorable moment
 of recognition.
   
  But there is an explanation to this psyche of the Actors. Even if we wish to be normal, people do not let us be. A screen image remains in the minds of the masses who actually start loving or hating us as those screen characters we play. They do not allow us to come out of that created image. Initially when you are recognized by the name of the character, you feel good about it but in a way the Actor looses his/her own identity. It, in a way harms the Actor, especially if you have played a character which has become extremely popular. Then for the rest of your life you are identified with that particular character and you do not get roles you could have got, if you had not played that popular character. It  rather comes as a signal to the Actor, that he/she is finished. 
   
  I have a perfect example to this situation. Forget the public, I myself could not remember the name of the Actor who played 'RAM' in the famous “RAMAYANA' of Late Sh. Ramanand Sagar. I met him on a show we were supposed to shoot together, where he was to play my father's role. Believe me I did not realize that he would not like if I would address him 'Ram ji'. It was quite unintentional but he was highly embarrassed and introduced himself to me. 
   
  Another incident which was a kind of a revelation to me, because I was pretty new to the industry, was when I had to shoot with a  famous 'Father' of films and television(would not like to name). The Actor is a big TV star and I was pretty excited to shoot with him as he also happens to be my senior from the National School of Drama. 
   
  An outdoor location half way to Goa:
   
  All the crew members are eagerly waiting for this television star.
   
  He arrives in a white Mercedes and waves to the onlookers. The crowd shouts in excitement. 
   
  The Producer heads to greet him. Followed by the Director, the cast is introduced to him. 
   
  My introduction comes as a graduate from the Drama School. He is happy to meet me.
   
  Later, I am told by the Director that he wants to meet me. 
   
  I rush to his room but as I enter, I get the shock of my life. He is having his drinks and smoking to the extent of suffocation. 
   
   
  A polite gentle 'Father' on screen, looked a normal man. Believe me, I couldn't accept this sight, though I did not show him my change of expression. Reason of shock was valid.  The image which I had in my mind was that of an ideal 'Father'. I had not known him as an Actor behind the screen, who has his own life and identity, different from the screen image.  
   
  Hence, the Character we see on screen, gets imprinted in our minds as an image of each particular Actor. More importantly in Television, an Actor is dominated by the Characters he/she plays and it becomes very difficult to break out of this dominance. The Actor continues to live multiple lives transcending the worlds of Reel and Real.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   

				
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