Acting helped me understand who I am: Seerat Kapoor

Seerat Kapoor may have entered the Telugu film industry by chance, but she stayed in it by choice. With her debut film Run Raja Run, which released in 2014, recently winning the Telangana Gaddar Film Award, Seerat reflects on over a decade in cinema, the early influence of her grandfather, the impact of personal loss, and why her next role may be her most intimate yet.‘Losing my father shaped how I see the world today’Growing up in a close-knit family, Seerat says their support has been a pillar of her journey. But losing her father at the age of 17 had a profound impact. “No one anticipates these things. My life started on a very real note, very early. We had to stand strong together as a family while still figuring out our lives. My mother became the family’s backbone. She encouraged not just me, but my brother too, even in times where we would fail. As much as I’ve lost my dad, he also taught me how to be in the world. I live every day remembering his lessons,” she says.‘My grandfather always knew this was my future’Before she found her place on screen, Seerat Kapoor was focused on dance and music. While assisting on the sets of Rockstar, she landed a small role in the film.“It was a small part in the song Nadaan Parinde, but I realised I wanted to explore beyond just music and dance,” she says. Later, a conversation with her grandfather, the late Roshan Taneja, a pioneer in Indian acting training, led her to formal training under his guidance. “I think he always knew this was my future, but he never mentioned it to me. He moulded me to fix the nuances and learn more about myself as an actor,” she says.‘Run Raja Run set the tone for everything that followed’Seerat’s acting debut came unexpectedly a month into training with her grandfather when she landed Run Raja Run, a Telugu rom-com thriller, in a language she didn’t speak at the time. “I didn’t question it. I’ve always attempted it to my best ability, given my 100%, and continue to make it a constant practice, which I believe is the reason I’m still here in this industry a decade later. And now, 11 years later, my debut film has won the Telangana Gaddar Film Award which only validates the fact that no matter where you are in life, if you’re focused and disciplined, you are rewarded in due time,” she says.‘There’s a part of me in every character I’ve played’Over the years, Seerat has found herself drawing from personal experiences while shaping the characters she portrays. “None of the characters I’ve played were defined on paper. I’ve invested a lot of myself into them, whether it’s Rukhsar in Krishna and His Leela or Vinitha in Maa Vintha Gaadha Vinuma,” she notes.Her upcoming film, Jatasya Maranam Dhruvam, a psychological thriller starring JD Chakravarthy and Naresh Agastya, may be her most personal project yet. “My character has been through a lot in life but something about her remains innocent, untouched. Even on the note of personal loss, there’s a connection I deeply relate to. I had to go back to my experiences and emote all that I know in terms of the feeling. I think the audience will get to see me in a very different light,” she says, signing off.Seerat Kapoor : "I feel there’s a part of me in every character that I’ve played, because none of them were defined on paper. I’ve invested a lot of myself into them and that shaped how they were different from each other"– Shreya Varanasi