Nancy Thakkar: The most important thing I learned from Nawazuddin Siddiqui is ‘how to stay grounded’

Since making his film debut in Nandita Das-directed ‘Manto’ in 2018 Nancy Thakkar has come a long way and till today, the actor never forgot her roots in theatre. It’s been a roller-coaster ride but one thing Nancy has always believed is the significance of exploring different mediums of acting and live performances to improve one’s craft. In an exclusive interview with ETimes, the talented actor who has done films like ‘Facebook Wala Pyar’ and short film ‘Pill Hai Ke Maanta Nahin’ insists that she wants to try out different avenues simultaneously to evolve as an actor.Excerpts:
You have worked in feature films, OTT, and theatre as well. How do you juggle between these mediums?
Actually, women, these days are multi-taskers, not only these days but back in the old days too. This came very easily to me from my childhood because I have been doing dancing, acting, theatre, and various performing arts which brings to this diversification of my range. When you do theatre before live audience, and then you know you have to do an OTT project, you really go subtle. I think every actor should experience this diversification of mediums so that they bring the best out of it.

Did theatre evolve you as an Actor?
Oh Yeah.......Absolutely big yes. I think it’s the most difficult of all, performing in front of live audience. You Adapt according to your audience. Actors need to be really flexible, and spontaneous. Theatre is one such medium, I believe every actor should go through. In fact, there’s a saying that if you are from a theatre background, you are a great actor. Theatre is a very important part of my life.
You started as a model and then came to acting...How did that happen?
I would like to say that I wanted to start from somewhere, because I knew acting was my thing. Ads came more easily to me because of this. Every work I have done so far, I have always gone for auditions and I have always gone for look tests. People say we are not born with Godfathers, so we have to work harder to sustain ourselves till I get films so I started with commercials. But Acting was always in my heart.
How Receptive the industry is to welcoming young talents?
I really want to be very honest with this answer. I believe that when the producer of the film is putting money and effort into the project, they want to sell their project easily by casting known faces. Making a crack through and getting a breakthrough is not easy, you have to really work hard and you have to prove it in this competitive industry. For young talents, this is difficult because once you enter the industry, it takes time to function to sustain yourself in the industry.
Have Social media become a portfolio for actors these days?
A big Yes.......I believe not just actors, it became a platform for various talents and it became a bridge between artist and audience. A big boom came during the lockdown and after the lockdown. Now the casting process has changed, now people want more influencers and content creators, and people who have a lot of followers. The beauty of Brain along with business ideas, the whole package is selling more on social media.

You worked with Nawazuddin Siddiqui in ‘Manto’? How was the experience? What’s the most important thing you learned from him?
The experience was really good. I was a fresher at that time and he was already a veteran. But the way he treated me, was impeccable. The way he treats a small staff or a crew member of the set to the producer was equally good. And one most important things I learned from him is to be 'down to earth'. He is a much-disciplined actor. I was inclined to observe the process of how he is an actor when I used to be on the set, and I noticed that he won’t leave his character for a minute or second. One day, an incident happened. A huge crowd came to meet him on the set, fans were eager to click photos with him, and it was great to see how he dealt with all these people. He met every person with love and care.

Are women characters being explored more wisely now after the OTT boom?
Oh yes, of course. The way content is made these days. Hats off to Hansal Mehta Sir, I have been watching his web series recently, and the way he portrays the women characters is too good. And also I admire Shefali Shah. The way she is pulling off various characters even at this age is brilliant and all these because of the OTT boom.
What are your upcoming projects?
I have signed a project recently for 3 music videos which I can’t reveal now. And also there are a few projects with the South industry which are too early to reveal. But yeah, my theatre projects are also going through, among which one is produced by myself. So yeah, theatre is too close to me to start as my first production venture.