‘Want to break free from acting pattern on TV’
Taking a break from the small screen to hone her acting skills, Toral Rasputra has been doing theatre for quite some time now. Though the actor shot to instant fame after she portrayed the character of Anandi in Balika Vadhu, in theatre, she specifically wants to work on her body language and break free from the pattern of acting that one gets used to after doing a TV show for too long. “I’d like to work on my body language. That’s because, unfortunately on TV, you’re restricted to the frame given to you and you can’t move much. You become static as you’re just following the mark, facing the camera and saying the dialogue. As an actor, you have lesser opportunity to play with your body language and you become restricted,” says Toral, who took a year’s break after Balika Vadhu before joining another TV show. Sharing anecdotes from her own experience on TV, the actor shares, “I remember when I was playing Anandi, the character was very docile and girly, and I couldn’t do much with my body language. Playing older than your real age, which I did in my last show, also limits movement.”
When performing on other platforms or giving auditions for films and web shows, Toral says one has to have a different approach. “You have to forget for a while you are auditioning for TV. I feel working on TV, at times, is much easier because there’s a fixed pattern that gets created. And when you follow that for too long, it ends up being monotonous,” she says.
That’s why she’s opted for theatre after quitting her last TV show. “I took a break from TV for theatre workshops and I’m doing them on and off. I learned it is important to be free when you are in front of the camera. You may have work today, you may not have it tomorrow; it’s a struggle for everyone. It’s important to be relevant in today’s time and for that, everyone needs to up their game,” concludes Toral.