Often, it’s a struggle for young theatre artistes to break into films. But some are lucky. Vaishali Deepak will debut with director Om Prakash Rao’s Huccha 2, a remake of Tamil film Raam.
Vaishali discovered her desire to be an actress through theatre. “I have been a theatre artiste right from my school days, and have dabbled with most aspects of staging a production. It was during my college years I realised that I truly wanted to be an actress professionally too. If I had stayed on in theatre, to pursue this dream, I would have had to take on a second job as theatre is not so lucrative. Films were my next best option to fulfilling my passion and making a well-paying career out of it,” she says.
The camera isn’t all that new for Vaishali either. “I have been an assistant director on an independent feature film. I have also worked with various theatre production houses in Mumbai. When I interned with theatreperson Akash Khurana there, I did everything from give the clap, manage the lights and act. After an experience with Prithvi theatre, I moved to acting in short films,” Vaishali says.
Eager to land a role in a feature length film, Vaishali circulated her portfolio among producers and directors in Sandalwood. It’s how Om Prakash Rao spotted her.
Vaishali realises that theatre and films are two different worlds. “In theatre, we have the liberty to move around the stage but in films, you are closeted in a frame and have to be as expressive despite being crunched in. I am so used to moving around. I realised this when I faced the camera for the short films I shot for. In time, I will adapt to this change. Another concern is fitness, and I have been working on it,” she says.
Choosing films over theatre has also meant that the Bangalore girl could stay on in the city, instead of moving to Mumbai as she would have had to to push ahead as a theatre artiste.
In Huccha 2, Vaishali plays a college-going girl who falls for the character played by upcoming actor Dhananjay. “Dhananjay and I have common friends from whom I have heard about his passion for acting and about his performances. I am looking forward to working with him,” Vaishali says.
Of Om Prakash, whose films are typically etched on a larger-than-life canvas, Vaishali says, “Cinema is meant to be larger than life. I watched Sudeep’s Huccha, which was also directed by Om. I am yet to watch his Kalasipalya. Since I know what my role is in Huccha 2, my confidence is bound to build once I start shooting.”