Actor Pranay Manchanda is best known for web series franchises like Voot's Baked, Dice Media's First, MX Player's web series Official CEOgiri, Official Bhootiyagiri, Zee 5's Comedy Couple, Amazon Prime's Made in Heaven and many more made his big screen debut with film Tara Vs Bilal. The actor also has a theatre group called Free parking Entertainment, which is based out of Delhi.
The film featuring Sonia Rathee as Tara and Harshvardhan Rane as Bilal, backed by John Abraham and directed by Samar Iqbal is a family Drama where Pranay is seen playing a pivotal role. We had a tête-à-tête with the actor, and here are the excerpts of the same.
Congratulations on your first film! Tell us something about your character in the movie.
Tara Vs Bilal is an unconventional love story where it is not just a difficult relationship between the protagonists but also Bilal’s best friend Jiggy, whom I have played. Jiggy is a Gujju doctor living in London and he is madly in love with another man, who is a drag queen and performer. This unabashed love is juxtaposed with the difficult relationship that the protagonists have.
What was your experience like while you were shooting?
It has been an amazing experience, and trust me I am not at all bragging. We were shooting in London, and just after we shot for 5 days, I got Covid and was quarantined at the hotel for 10 days. But everyone from the team was so sweet, and they made sure I was alright, having medicines and food on time, and my spirits were high. That’s the kind of support everyone deserves from their fellow crew members, especially when they are shooting in some foreign land.
There’s a trend in the industry where members of a particular crew are not given the same weightage on the set, but here it was my best experience. Everyone was given the same opportunities. The team was small and we all became like a family.
You have both been a director and an actor. Which would be your first pick?
I would say I am an actor first. I have been working in theatres for a very long time. I even have my own theatre company. I have done several web series, and ads too. So, I would say that my greatest love is acting. Any sort of acting attracts me, the medium doesn’t matter. But I have always looked forward to the role of a director, and have been so passionate about it, that I have started to enjoy the process a lot more now. I am still new to directing, and it makes me anxious. But yes, I am loving it.
So, you have been a stage actor. How is it different from what you do on screen? And how do you process a script once you get it?
As an actor in the theatre, you have more agency…you control the play and manoeuvre it the way you want. But on screen, you are at the behest of the director.
I frankly don’t understand the funda that everyone keeps talking about method acting and being a director’s actor. My job as an actor is to give the best version of the character possible. To do that, I listen to the director and also challenge the director where required. But, at the end of the day, it’s the director’s call. I give him several options to choose from, and in that sense I would say, I am a director’s actor!