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From the stage to the sets

Narayani Shastri on her latest show

THE DUSKY BEAUTY Narayani Shastri PHOTO: ANU PUSHKARNA

Female characters in Indian soaps have become so pretentious that you presume this pomposity spills over to the actors' real selves too. But telly actress Narayani Shastri doesn't carry with her that typical glitz and glamour. There is a rather different kind of air about her, that of an actor who feels she knows what acting really means because she has been on the stage first and the sets later.

"Most TV actors do the opposite. Actually, acting happened by fluke," relates Narayani.

Narayani took up law after graduation, following her mother's advice to "keep busy".

Reluctant actor

"I did three years of law; it was so boring and I was looking for a way out. One day, a friend came up with an offer to act in his play because the original actor had backed out at the last moment. I reluctantly agreed, but I soon I realised I was enjoying it, so much so that I didn't look back after that," shares the Mumbaiite.

Rarely flashing that half-smile made popular in serials like Piya Ka Ghar, Kkusum, Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi, etc., Narayani chooses to talk about the character of Ranjana in Twinkle Beauty Parlour. "She is a vivacious young woman. She owns Twinkle Beauty Parlour. In spite of a chequered past, she wants to rebuild her life." Narayani is doing just this serial at present, but is quite active in the theatre circuit. "I have done a lot of Hindi plays. These days, I am doing a play with Mahesh Dattani. It has been staged in Mumbai and Kuala Lumpur. It is called, `Mad About Money'. Dattani is sweet as a director but knows how to get what he wants from an actor."

As for acting in films, Narayani mentions the Marathi film, Pak Pak Paka.

"I featured in it last year opposite Nana Patekar and got good reviews. Let's hope I get more good roles, be it Hindi or Marathi films," she says.

But for the time being, she is busy being Ranjana and "hopefully will be seen in a serial jointly produced by Ekta Kapoor and Smriti Irrani of Tulsi fame."

SANGEETA BAROOAH PISHAROTY

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