Bollywood dreams start on Bengaluru's stages

Padmavati Rao is now used to answering questions about how it was to work with Amitabh Bachchan in the recently released Hindi thriller, `Te3n'. Rao plays his wheelchair-bound paraplegic wife, Nancy Biswas. Her performance has people sitting up and taking note of a performer whom they remember watching in `Pardes', and much before that in the Doordarshan classic, `Malgudi Days'.For Rao, the sense of wonderment lies in the fact that she was chosen for the role. 'My first question to casting director Mukesh Chhabra was how did he find me? He got me out of the woodwork,' recalls Rao. Chhabra told her that the team was looking for actors with a theatre background and chanced upon her.
Theatre actors seem to be making a comeback playing major roles in films, including in Bollywood.And increasingly , filmmakers, including those from Tamil, Kannada and Telugu, are choosing actors from Bengaluru who are considered `multi-lingual and cosmopolitan enough' to suit films made for multiplex audiences. While Prakash Belawadi has made a mark with his realistic south Indian portrayals, youngsters Shashank Swaroop, Dhananjay, Gulshan Devaiah and Kishore are also landing plum roles.
Belawadi, who is now the most recognizable Bengalurean in Hindi films after his outings in `Madras Caf', `Wazir' and `Airlift', agrees. 'I am acting in so many Hindi films today and based on what I have seen, there is a healthy respect among Mumbai's fraternity for actors from here. Bengaluru continues to be an aspirational place for creative people and so talent scouts look at the city as a space to spot actors,' says Belawadi, who will be seen in Kannada film `Badmaash', shortly .
CHANGING SCENE
Adding to this is Bengaluru's theatre scenario, which is now vibrant, making it a hotbed of talent. 'Theatre today is robust and is unlike what is in Mumbai,' says Belawadi. While a strong professional culture exists in Marathi, Gujarati and Hindi theatre space in Mumbai, English theatre is not well explored. 'Here, English language theatre is in a new and experimental phase. And while critics may complain about the quality of theatre today , let me tell you that young people here are smart and attempting great work,' he adds. It is the Hindi TV industry that gave city actors a launch pad, says Rao. 'When TV took off, it gave many Mumbai-based actors a means to earn steady income through acting,' she says. But while soaps lent visibility and exposure, it also made actors busy . Contracts are for years and shooting for a serial is a different kind of roller-coaster. That is when Mumbai filmmakers felt the paucity of quality actors and started looking outside, says Rao. Film and TV actor Neil Bhoopalam, whose turn in `NH10' and serial `24' has made him a recognisable face, says the demand also led to a crucial shift. 'When I got into the industry , there was a trend of models getting into films but today , I see theatre actors being hired and frankly, I think it is a better shift.' A Baldwin boy, Bhoopalam cut his teeth on stage and was a regular face on the city's theatre circuit performing in plays like `Hayavadana', `The Clown Prince' and `The Living Room'. 'Theatre is the best training ground for an actor to understand what the craft is,' says Bhoopalam, who will be seen next in season 2 of TV show 24.

BETTER ROLES
Younger actors like Bhoopalam are lucky because the film industry is evolving with interesting, character-driven stories being written.Take the Kannada industry that is seeing a rise in quality indie movies. This has meant opportunities for actors from theatre groups like Rangayana and Ninasam.
Kannada actor Dhananjaya, who debuted in `Director's Special' and won a debutant award for the same in 2013, concurs. 'Many actors in Kannada films are coming from theatre. In fact, when I attended a theatre function recently, I had directors complain that new actors were treating theatre solely as a springboard to TV and films,' says Dhananjay , who has got offers from Telugu and Marathi film industries. Many do a few plays and then expect to get a big break in films or TV soaps. 'This is unlike my time when we were committed to the craft and did theatre for the love of it,' he says.
Rao, who holds theatre workshops, says that she gets students who come with the sole intention of getting into movies. 'I tell them that they need to find a way to balance theatre and films because the experience you get from working on stage is irreplaceable,' says Rao.
COUNTING PENNIES
Sidhartha Singh is one such aspirant who joined Misfit, an acting course conducted by Ratan Thakore Grant, to learn the ropes of the craft. He says that compared to Mumbai, Bengaluru is a cheaper option for students of acting. 'In Mumbai, Anupam Kher's Actor Prepares or Kishore Namit Kapoor's Acting Institute offer courses that are expensive; they cost Rs 1 lakh and above. Theatre workshops here are cheaper, costing between Rs 10,000 and 20,000,' he says. So those aspiring to go to Bollywood, train here in theatre and then head to Mumbai for opportunities. 'You can call Bengaluru a tutorial centre for acting,' he says.