Shreyas Porus Pardiwalla had a promising start with ‘Yaariyan’. The film, backed by T-Series, was a commercial success and its songs are played on television till date. When asked, the actor admits he failed to capitalise on the success of the film as he was not aware of the ways in which the industry functioned. But, the future looks promising as the well-spoken and happy-go-lucky actor is set to appear in a new show that will premiere on a leading digital streaming platform. In this interview, he talks about harbouring dreams of becoming an actor since childhood, his short but eventful journey in films, role of theatre in shaping him up as an actor, making mistakes and learning from them.
Most actors go through several rounds of auditions before bagging their first film. You had it a little easy as the casting team at T-Series spotted you on the poster of a play that you were doing at that time and called you. Is that correct?
Yes, that is exactly what had happened. I was with this theatre production called Out Of The Box Productions. They had produced a play called ‘Little Did They Know’. It was their first ever stage production and I had played a twenty minute role in it. The play did fairly well and people really appreciated my performance in it. I remember a leading newspaper carrying a very positive review about my performance. After that, the company wrote another play called ‘The Gone Case’ and they wanted me to play the titular role in it. We did a few mock performances in a couple of places but our first major show was in Canvas Laughter Factory. The posters of the play, which had my face on it, were put all across South Mumbai. Two people from T-Series had come to Palladium as they were hunting for an actor who could play a comic role in their then upcoming film. When they went there, they liked my photograph so much that they asked for my number. They could not get my number but thankfully, my name was there on the posters. They looked up for me on Facebook and added me there. Back then, the more friends you had on Facebook, the cooler you were thought to be. I would accept every friend request I would get and thus, accepted their friend request as well. They wrote to me on my Facebook messenger asking me to come for an audition. I read the message and thought it was a spam. Two days later, they wrote to me on my wall in block letters – PLEASE CHECK INBOX. I asked my dad if I should go for the audition but like me, he also thought that somebody was playing a prank on me. My parents have been my biggest support but they were a little protective about me as none of us knew about how the industry worked. I gave the audition in front of Divya (Khosla Kumar) ma’am and after two-three rounds, I was finalised for the role.
‘Yaariyan’ was shot in 2012 but it released two years later in 2014. Given the fact that it was your first film, did you get a little anxious because of the delay?
When I shot for the film, I was very impatient to get back to Mumbai and attend college. I was about to appear for my third year TYBA psychology board exam. Incidentally, I have shot for all my films during some important exam. I shot for ‘Sanam Re’ around the time I was appearing for my Masters in clinical psychology part 1 examination and ‘Sweetiee Weds NRI’ happened during Masters part 2 examination. My mom and dad often joke about this and tell me that I should go for further studies so that I get another film during some other exam. The first time I got a little worried about the release of ‘Yaariyan’ was when I finished my TYBA exams and realised there was no news about the film coming out any time soon. After college, I had decided to take a break for a year from studies and work in films. But, I would have been able to do that only if the film had released on time and helped me gain some recognition.
Was it difficult to strike a balance between your studies and film projects?
It was very difficult. When I was doing ‘Yaariyan’, I was constantly worried about missing classes. It never struck me that I was doing a feature film with a big production house. This realisation struck me for the first time when the trailer of the film was launched in a prominent multiplex in the city. All of us were in this big lift. The lift came upstairs, the door opened, we came out of the lift and when we took a right turn, we saw a large number of media people standing in front of us and clicking pictures. I would never forget that visual as I had never seen something like that in my life. I was overwhelmed by the attention the film and I were getting.
Himansh Kohli was already a popular TV star when he did ‘Yaariyan’. Rakul Preet went on to become a huge star in South. In hindsight, do you think you could have capitalized on the success of the film a little better?
This is a question I ask myself every day. Unfortunately, I failed to capitalize on the success of my debut film. I wish I had someone to guide me. From the last week of December 2013 when the first promo came out till the time the film released, I was making rounds of leading publications’ offices and making appearances on reality shows and chat shows. I was everywhere. If only I had someone who had told me to hire a PR, get a manager, asked me to meet people or give auditions, things would have been different for me. People were interested to know about me and I did not even know what PR was. I had no idea how to go about approaching people. If I had somebody to guide me, I would have been able to use the success of the film to further my career.
Did you undergo any formal training in acting?
I used to participate in plays in school and was very comfortable on stage. I attended speech and drama classes as a child. I was a part of Raell Padamsee’s theatre group called Ace Productions. After finishing my tenth grade from Campion School, I went to BD Somani International School where I opted for theatre arts as one of my major subjects. I studied theatre extensively and appeared for oral and written exams in theatre. The school had once taken us for a theatre workshop to London with the Royal Shakespeare Company. After that, I went to study in Jai Hind College which, I firmly believe, was my best educational institution. I was a part of a theatre group called Paper Ball Theatre Group and we did a street play named ‘Maryada Party Zindabaad’ which won accolades and awards and we performed it more than thirty times all over Mumbai. In my third year of Jai Hind College, ‘Yaariyan’ happened. I did a diploma course in method acting from Jeff Goldberg Studio. All these experiences played an important role in shaping me as an actor.
After acting in several theatre productions, you are now about to direct a play yourself. How does it feel to be a director?
We are still prepping for it and it is turning out to be a great experience. Having said that, acting will always remain my first love. Direction is far more difficult than being an actor.
Would you like to get into full-fledged filmmaking in the near future – direct ad films or a short film perhaps?
I am very thirsty for knowledge. I am a very inquisitive person and would love to explore different aspects of filmmaking as and when the opportunity presents itself. But, acting is my priority at the moment.
You have another talent – you sing. Are you a trained singer?
No, I have not had much training in music. I learnt Hindustani classical music for a year but had to stop that because I got busy studying for my twelfth board exams. My grandmother goes for bhajan classes and is a wonderful singer. My dad has a fantastic voice and my aunt sings very well too. I used to sing in school. In fact, I had won the Father John Rodrigues Trophy for music in my tenth grade. I have done musical plays with Mehli Mehta Music Foundation. I was a part of the school choir as well. Interestingly, the play that I am directing now is a musical.
Hindi is not your first or even, second language. Did you undergo any training in diction or grammar when you realised that you were going to do Hindi films?
I should have undergone Hindi diction classes. Unfortunately, I did not take any training earlier but I am going to do it very soon. When I was learning acting in Jeff Goldberg Studio, one of the classes we had was a Hindi Elective class, so I got a bit of a training there. I am aware of the fact that my Hindi is not that great and I have faced a lot of criticism for it in the past.
Does your lack of command over Hindi act as a hindrance in you getting certain kind of roles?
I do not see it as a hindrance but a challenge. It is a challenge which I have not been able to overcome as yet but I am determined to work on it seriously and get over it soon.
You have this urban boy image. Would you like to play a rustic, desi character in some film?
Oh, that is something I have been dying to do. It would be very exciting to be a part of a film like ‘Gangs Of Wasseypur’ or ‘Dangal’ which is set in the heartland of the country and has rooted characters.
You had to go through a lot of struggle as an actor. Was there ever a point when you thought about quitting this profession?
No, never. Acting is the only thing I know. Like I stated earlier, I have a master’s degree in clinical psychology. I come from a strong academic background but acting is the only thing I have ever wanted to do. I have gone through several difficult experiences in my pursuit of becoming an actor but the thought of quitting it never crossed my mind.
Perhaps the fact that you believe in the law of attraction helped you stay positive.
Yes, I am a big believer in the law of attraction. I have read every single book that mentions it. I also believe in the Divine Mother of Pondicherry and Sri Aurobindo. Generally, I have a lot of faith in God and the universe.
You are a huge admirer of Vidya Balan. You had a very interesting meeting with her once. Would you like to tell us about it?
I am a die-hard fan of Vidya Balan. In one of her interviews with Anupam Kher, she mentioned that she used to go to the Sai Baba temple in Chembur and once, she cried her heart out as no work was coming her way. She told Sai Baba ‘you have dangled the carrot in front of me, why don’t you give it to me?’ A while later, she got ‘Parineeta’. I thought the day I meet her, I will give her something related to Sai Baba. Last year, few of us, who were studying at Jeff Goldberg Studio, went to a Film Companion show where Anupama Chopra was interviewing Vidya Balan for ‘Begum Jaan’. After the interview got over, I saw a girl standing next to her. I recognised her immediately as she was a part of the PR team for ‘Yaariyan’. Initially, she could not recognise me as I had cut my hair short. I requested her to help me meet Vidya ma’am. Finally, I managed to meet her and got a picture clicked with her. After that, I told her that I had done ‘Yaariyan’. She congratulated me on the success of the film and said that she really liked the music of the film. I gifted her a small photo frame of Sai Baba and touched her feet to seek her blessings. She was so touched that she gave me a warm hug. It was the best day of my life. I keep praying to get the opportunity to work with her one day.
Do you have any message for aspiring actors?
It is going to be very difficult but do not ever give up. Always be honest with your craft and focus on honing your skills consistently. Building a good body and looking good is fine but at the end of the day, it is your talent that speaks for you.
You have recently shot for a web-series for Zee5. Can you share something about it?
The show is called ‘Akoori’. The trailer has recently come out. You will get to see me playing a very interesting character in the show. The show revolves around a Parsi family. It premieres on 30 August, 2018 on Zee5.