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`You are a damsel in distress'

Theatre personality Vandana Sajnani and upcoming actor Tejaswini Kolhapure do a bit of psychoanalysis over lunch

PRETTY PAIR Tejaswini Kolhapure and Vandana Sajnani let their hair down PHOTO: MOHAMMED YOUSUF

They could pass of as your common o' garden PYTs, but there's more to Vandana Sajnani and Tejaswini Kolhapure than the PYT label they sport with cool.

A theatre addict, Vandana usually finds her schedules crammed with scripts, auditions, dates and all the tedious behind-the-scenes workload that comes with staging plays. Tejaswini is relatively new to tinsel town but is sure about what she wants. Being Padmini Kolhapure's kid sister sure helps, but she is her own woman, and she doesn't mince words. The two came together for the play "Beauty, Brains and Personality" and have known each other for just over four months; but share a rapport that can only be called friendship. From first impressions to fault finding, K. SACHIDANAND MENON gets sound bytes over a luncheon tête-à-tête.

Tejaswini: The first time we met, I felt I had seen you somewhere. I remember asking you: `Have we met before?'

Vandana: Yeah, there are times when you feel you have seen a face somewhere in the crowd...

Tejaswini: No, it was a genuine feeling. It was like I really met you somewhere and not as in I saw you in films or on stage.

Vandana: When we first bumped into each other, I thought you were pretty chilled out.

As we chatted, I got the impression that you were direct and clear up here (tapping her head).

Later, I remember describing you to a friend by saying, `With Tejaswini, you see what you get and you get what you see.'

Tejaswini: I thought you were pretty chilled out too, relaxed and all smiles...

Vandana: Actually, I am an impatient person, someone who gets hyper easily. But this project (Beauty, Brains and Personality), has made me really patient.

Tejaswini (Giggling): Patient? Seriously?

Vandana (Smiles): Patient on the face of it because backdoors I am still pulling my hair. And do you know that I am extremely fond of you to the point that sometimes I become a little partial...

Tejaswini: Really? Partial with me? Wow! (has a good laugh)

Vandana: I am not partial to you as a producer. As actors, all are the same to me...

Tejaswini (Still laughing): I don't think anyone will call me an actor.

Vandana: Honestly, I am fond of you for various reasons.

Tejaswini: Let me guess. I think you are fond of me because I am not a demanding person. And because I am extremely undiplomatic, a kind of in-your-face person.

Vandana: To begin with, I like you because you are sweet. This might sound clichéd but in that term `sweet' there's a lot more, like being a thorough professional. Do you remember that incident when I asked you for dates and you refused?

A month ago, I was working on some shows and you clearly told me then time that you could work only for a certain number of days because you had given a commitment for some shooting. Due to some reasons, the schedules went haywire and the shows got postponed. But when I asked you for fresh dates, you reminded me of the commitment. As a person, the smallest of things can upset me, but even though my shows got postponed, I respected your professionalism.

Tejaswini: Yeah, that's true. You do let small things upset you.

Vandana: I also think that you are a director's actor. I don't know what the other directors think about you but I think you do what the director says. And that's very nice.

Tejaswini: But you do let actors do what they want to do.

Vandana: Yes, because ultimately I think the stage is an actor's medium. A director can talk about timing, voice throw, clarity, diction but she cannot talk about performance on stage. When the curtain rises, you are on your own.

Tejaswini: Well, I must say you do a good job at encouraging actors. There were times when I became a nervous wreck thinking I will forget my lines or blank out, but you kept reassuring me. In one of the shows, I forgot a line and you were there beside me whispering dialogues. On the flip side, I think you are a damsel in distress. I think you should learn how to delegate tasks and be more assertive.

Vandana: Hmmm... Delegating has always been a problem. But I feel nobody can do things the way I am doing it.

Tejaswini: Sometimes, you have to learn to rely on people. You will grow, believe me. The moment you start delegating, you will be much more relaxed and have time to think of more things. And by the way, you are good at PR.

Vandana: Yeah, I think I am good at marketing.

Tejaswini: I wish I was good at marketing too. I think you should focus on marketing and, in the process, maybe concentrate more on being a producer than an actor. I feel creative people cannot make good producers. Vandana: I think all actors make good producers...

Tejaswini: No, everyone has bombed.

Vandana: There are actors who have become good producers like Pooja Bhatt... she is a good producer.

Tejaswini: But she no longer is an actor...

Vandana: There are others like Anupam Kher. People say he is a good producer. There's Rishi Kapoor and Anil Kapoor...

Tejaswini: What I'm saying is that you cannot focus on production and acting at the same time.

Vandana (Smiles): Hmmm... Then I think I am an exception.

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