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Final countdown: ‘Best Actor’ is now down to the final four.

A programme which started with 45 contestants, Amrita Channel’s ‘Best Actor’ is now down to the final four-Siddharth, Surabhi, Girish and Deepika.

“Song and dance hunts are now passé, we wanted something different. As some of the best actors of the country hail from Kerala, we thought why not create a platform to unearth people with innate talents,” says S. Ramesh Kumar, the producer of the show.

And according to the producer, the response for the hunt was fantastic. “We received hundreds and thousands of applications. Nearly 90 per cent of them were talented, so screening was difficult.”

And what do the final four have to say?

“It’s been a hectic journey. Although we had a ball during the shoot, we have been slaving over our performances,” says Deepika, a Bachelor of Science student at PSMO College, Tirurangadi.

With no clue of acting, Deepika found the grooming session by Murali Menon and T. Balachandran useful. “They taught us how to emote on stage, how to woo the crowd and hold their interest to our performance,” says Deepika.

Surabhi, who has opted theatre as part of her Bachelor in Bharatanatyam curriculum, feels that the workshop has helped polish her acting skills. A fan of KPAC Lalitha, she feels one has to get into the skin of a character so as to leave an impression on the audience’s mind.

“We were taught to highlight our plusses and downplay our minuses so that we could give our best on stage.”

These aspiring actors were seen in a variety of roles: as comedians, news casters, characters from books, et al. “It is amazing to see how talented the contestants are. Some have really blossomed on stage,” says Ramesh.

The final countdown will be held in Kozhikode on January 26. Celebrity judges and SMS-based polls will decide who walks away with crown.

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