While actors are usually the ones who are given credit by the audience for a good show, actor Vijay Kalvani says that the team behind the camera is the one that should be applauded and rewarded.
“Trust me if an editor has done great editing his work is recognised by people in the industry and by those audiences as well who care to wait for the end credits to check the name of the editor or other technicians. The same goes with directors, creatives, singers, composers and writers. Mostly the audience is more interested in the faces they see that’s why actors get more recognition. The truth is that the real heroes of the content are those who actually conceive ideas and bring them to life. The team is not presenting an actor, they present a story,” he says.
Meanwhile, he says that actors need to focus on evolving continuously. “Everyone has to evolve. It’s a compulsion. As the saying goes, change is the only constant. In our industry, it’s more of evolve or perish. Be it in terms of your skills, technology, content, platforms. Everything is evolving at a fast pace.
I certainly have grown as an actor over the years. Right from taking references from the work of veteran actors as to how a character or a certain act should be performed to experimenting with my personal life experiences and, now, to playing a character with all my imagination. I have evolved as an actor,” he says.
Feedback from the right source is very important, says Vijay, adding, “Firstly, who is providing this feedback is the question. If it is coming from the creative and direction team, they should be upfront and honest to the actor. The problem occurs when the team lacks team spirit and instead of talking to an actor directly things just keep floating around. I always like to have discussions with my creatives and director to understand what they have in mind in regards to the character and I do like having their feedback which helps me in shaping the character. If the feedback is coming from the audiences, they are the king. That feedback or even criticism should always be taken constructively by any actor.”
Ask him what is his advice to the budding actors, and Vijay says, “Never be scared of accepting challenging roles. Look for roles that you have never done before. Explore different dimensions as an actor. Practice and learn to channelise your energy into different characters. Please join theatre, that helps a lot in understanding your own capabilities. Follow a fitness regime.”
