‘NSD TAUGHT ME ACTING ISN’T JUST SAYING DIALOGUES’
Annup Sonii talks about theatre and his time in Delhi’s National School of Drama, and shares deets of his play that is headed to the city soon
Be it the kind father in the superhit TV show Balika Vadhu or the vigilant host alerting India about crime around us — actor Annup Sonii has pretty much been the audience’s favourite. But few know that the talented actor is a National School of Drama graduate and has a rich theatre background. And guess what, his play Ballygunge 1990 is coming to the Capital again.
“It is a suspense thriller or a love revenge story. It is about two people in love for a long time, and when one of them cheats on the other, the latter, still living with that anger, seeks revenge,” says Anuup.
His role in the production also allowed the Sea Hawks and The Test Case actor a break from what he has done in the past. “[The character] is a loser in life, somebody who has no self-confidence at the beginning of the play. He has seen failures in life in almost every aspect, and his decisions have gone wrong at every turn. So, his self-esteem is very low. I wanted to play a character who is not in a very commanding position. Atul came up with this story and he is an amazing writer. It is very difficult to show suspense on stage, unlike the liberties we have in movies. He has managed that well.”
Talking of his days at NSD, the actor says the institution changed his perception of acting. “For me, acting meant saying a dialogue. When I got into NSD, it was confusing for the first six months as they were teaching us modern Indian drama and western drama,” he says.
“I was like, ‘why aren’t they giving me dialogues? I want to learn acting.’ Instead, they would make us do a lot of physical and mental exercises,” Annup recalls, laughing.
Talking about his favourite part about theatre and being on the stage, the actor, who was part of Nadira Zaheer Babbar’s group Ekjute, says, “The power of the stage is the fact that once you are on it, there is no looking back. So, you prepare yourself for that one moment, where the audience is only looking at you in the darkness and the lights are on you. You have to keep all your senses open and be alert all the time.”
When I got into NSD, it was confusing for the first six months as they were teaching us modern Indian drama and western drama... They would make us do a lot of physical and mental exercises ANNUP SONII ACTOR