"Diversify and Never Face Discontentment "

Want to become a writer at Eat My News? Here is an opportunity to join the Board of Young Leaders Program by Eat My News. Click here to know more: bit.ly/boardofyoungleaders

1. Tell us about your background and journey.

I started acting and voicing since the age of 2.5years. I worked as a boy until I was 4-5 years old. I remember my hair never grew long as I was doing a lot of Tv serials as a kid and played all boy’s characters. Worked as an actor for Films, TV daily soaps, ads, and short films. Voiced for several projects and brands.

I am blessed to have worked with Irrfan khan, Shekhar Kapoor, Manoj Bajpai, Ashutosh Rana, Om puri, Naseeruddin Shah and so many talented people. Everyone I work with, I learn so much from. Currently dubbing for Netflix, NAtional geographic channel, Audible, storyteller, also doing a Podcast on short stories now ‘ circle of stories’ and many other interesting projects.

I do not want to restrict my talent as a voice actor to just one medium or one genre. I do everything and I keep learning and evolving. I also do several languages. And several accents. I love my job and I try and give it my best in everything I do.

2. Why did you choose acting as a career and what were the first steps you took?

I did not choose it.. it came to me... I was introduced to acting very early in my life.. while working as a child actor I realized and was also told that acting comes naturally to me, it fascinated me beyond bounds, I started early so obviously my first steps were tiny.

I never looked back and I do it full time now, do not know anything else other than this because God’s been kind, and I was always showered with work from the very start of my journey.

I love what I do. My field gives me the power to do and be whoever I want to be. I can play 5 different characters in a single day. It makes me feel like a superwoman. You have to be an observer to be a good actor and embrace change.

3. What challenges can one face during shoots/recordings?

Challenges are many but what's life without challenges. As an actor of a daily soap you are kind of cut off from most of the social part of your life, shoots sometimes stretch till wee hours, sometimes difficult locations, lengthy emotional scenes, etc but believe it or not I enjoy everything my field offers, I love challenges the most.

While voicing sometimes you do not get the tone right, the character right, or the emotion right but you work on it and you give your best and you are sorted. In Voicing your voice is everything, you have to express everything simply through your voice, I find Video medium to be easier in comparison. You can use your body language in your eyes your voice your expressions to connect and express. I find voicing challenging. I am passionate about Voice.

4. What are the skills required to be a TV/ voice actor?

You need to be extremely observant to be a relevant performer. Not just my field, you can excel in any field by constantly changing and evolving with time.

Meryl Streep ones said ‘Acting is not about being someone different. It's finding the similarity in what is apparently different, then finding myself in there’.

One more rule that I live by is what my seniors taught me, as a freelancer- to never keep all eggs in one basket. Diversify and never face discontentment.

I find it extremely boring to keep doing one thing and one thing only, so to keep my field interesting and ever-challenging I like to push boundaries. I dubbed for approx 7-8 characters in Doremon: Nobita’s mom, Gian’s mom, Shizuka’s mom, Doremi, Dekisugi, Jaiko, and others.

Also dubbed for Shinchan as Shinchan’s mother for several years. The animation is super interesting and gives you space to experiment I feel.

5. Does one also need to be technologically savvy in your field?

‘Technology changes incredibly fast, but we as human change slowly’. Like any other field, technology helps in enhancing one's talent and expand one's horizon. In the wake of lockdown, everyone is working from home.

To better one's quality of work delivery from home, technology comes in handy. One can keep in tune with the latest audio equipment and gadgetry through technology. Keeping pace with technology is not only essential but also the need of the hour.

6. What makes a person connect with their audience as a voice actor?

For your listeners, your voice is your face. Every emotion is expressed through your voice modulation. The connectivity is the key here. Unless you have that connection you won't hold the audience with your voice and for that, you need to understand the pulse of the script, the product, and the intention behind the thought you are lending your voice for.

7. Which is your favorite book?

Many lives, many masters by Dr. Brian Weiss. This was one of my earliest reads and my favorite so far. It intrigues me how our human mind is capable of so much, how we use only a fraction of it, how a single person ( in the book ) had so many lives living inside with so many different personalities.

I connected with it on so many levels. As an actor we are like chameleons, forever changing colors for our characters, breathing different characters day in day out.

Amidst all of this, we all must remember one primary color: the color of kindness.

- Pallavi Bharti, Voice Artist

- Interviewed by Shilpy Sharan