Pooja Kanwal is an Indian actress who has appeared in four South Indian films, as well as a Pakistani film opposite the actor Humayun Saeed. She will next be seen as the lead actress of the Hindi stage play Oye Ki Girl Hai, to be performed tonight at 9pm at the Sheikh Rashid Auditorium in the Indian High School in Dubai.
It was dealt with very nicely. The story and the dialogues are very tasteful and at no point does my character come off as cheap. She's a sweet girl who has been through a bad breakup and decides to deal with things in a different way. She could be any girl. It's something fun and unique and it was very exciting to be offered the lead role. This is my first play and to be the lead right away is a little nerve-racking, but I'm really looking forward to it. I'm so lucky that I'm working with such a talented cast and director because I'm getting to learn so much.
I haven't performed here before, but I've visited on many occasions. I really love this place. In fact, I was just here recently and went to the Mall of the Emirates and absolutely loved it. Dubai is so great because so much of Indian culture is accepted. And also Indian film, especially Bollywood movies, are so loved over here, even by non-Indians, so it's really exciting and welcoming. From what I've heard, Dubai's audiences are very responsive and appreciative.
India has such a thriving theatre industry and stage actors are highly regarded in society, especially within film circles. They know that if you have done theatre, you have what it takes to deliver a good performance. Now, even our theatre industry has become glamourised and commercialised. For the first time, in Mumbai, you see hoardings for upcoming plays - something unheard of before. Theatre now gets more sponsorship and promotion, which is great. I'm so happy that theatre is getting that recognition because the adrenalin rush from working on stage is unlike anything.
I'm working on a Punjabi film now with Gurdas Maan and also a few South films. As for a Bollywood movie, I'm concentrating on what I have on hand. I intend to give this play all my attention and we'll see what happens next.
I haven't studied acting, but my mother was an actor and I learnt a lot from her. I would go to shootings with her and spend the entire day on the set, which was helpful. I learnt so much about dialogue delivery, timing and cues. Plus, what you gain from being on a set is far greater than any school. I was lucky to have an acting school at home. Once I knew what I wanted to do, I got the chance to hone what I had learnt. I attended theatre workshops and did dance training for 13 years.
The biggest challenge for me in doing a South film was the language. I didn't speak the language at all so I had to learn my lines phonetically and emote for pages' worth. It was difficult learning cues and such because learning my own lines was hard enough. But I feel the opportunity allowed me to learn emoting really well and I learnt how to act off my co-actors and work within the moment. It was a great experience.
Tickets for Oye Ki Girl Hai are available at Spinneys audio video outlets and Sind Punjab Bur Dubai for Dh75, Dh125 and Dh250.