Actorspeak: Nobody can make an actor

All the world's a stage and everyone wants to act on that stage. With summer bringing with it a deluge of acting workshops, every Tunni, Dicki and Hari wants to make love to the camera! But just for the record, yeh acting cheez kya hai! Who better to tell us than Mangal Dhillon who not only is a gold medallist from our very own Department of Indian Theatre, Punjab University, but has also done memorable work in serials like Buniyaad, Junoon, Ghutan and Panther.Currently busy with making documentaries on Sikh history, Mangal was in city on Wednesday to share his experiences with participants of the MAD summer camp organised at Trainer's Den. Chandigarh Times invited Mangal to explore the mind and matter of an actor through an actor! Can actors be made in workshops and institutes? Nobody can make an actor, one can only polish them. It's my firm belief that actors and mad people are born. There are three kinds of actors -impulsive actors, who somehow get their act together on stage; made-up actors who might be technically perfect but lack the rasas; and born-actors who are natural to the core, even in real life. It's the latter, which are always remembered. Essential qualities of an actor: If you'd ask me this before I went to Bombay, I would've said an actor should be intelligent, sensitive, confident and handsome. But now, I'd say an actor doesn't need any quality if he has destiny on his side. Are actors humble or arrogant? Nothing can beat the humble approach quite simply because it's supreme. On the other hand, arrogance might never pay but is very good for the actor's starry persona. It's like this - if an actor is easily available then his importance starts to dwindle but if he/she plays hard to get then he's living up to the reputation. Are all actors narcissist? Yes, actors are in love with themselves mostly because people make them realise that they are special. They want to be real yet not real so will use filter, soft light and mirror to look the best. God knows what all Rekha has been doing over the years to look so glamorous! A good actor, does he ensure success at the box office? The one ingredient that ensures success is the script. The reason why Bollywood is facing an onslaught of flops is because there are no good writers, only proposals and set-ups. Big stars, costumes and sets are all gimmicks to decorate a dead body, the story is the soul. What's ailing the Indian television? The audience is to be blamed if we are inundated with saas-bahu sagas. If the audience keeps on watching these soaps then they'll continue to make them. If they reject then they'll be changed within two minutes because nothing succeeds like success.