Kanikka Kapur - 'Acting Is Your Ability To Act', The Ability To Convey What You’re Feeling, Through Your Expressing Or Gestures Or Just Through Your Eyes (Actor, India)
by Pratibha (eatmynews)
I’d urge everyone to believe in themselves, even when no one else does. Belief being a very important key for anyone to move ahead in their respective career paths.
1. Tell us about your background and journey.
Well, I was born and brought up in Delhi. A very nerdy kid in school, I come from a completely non-filmy background. My dada ji is a former bureaucrat and my father is a businessman.
My upbringing has been in a joint family, which I was so grateful to have, since I can’t emphasise the importance of growing up with grandparents - the love and wisdom that they shower upon you.
My journey has been one filled with ups and downs. From making everyone around me understand my career choice to the final leap of moving to Mumbai has been an eventful journey. Honing my talent at every opportunity I’d get, was what I did initially.
I’d say the only thing keeping me optimistic was my faith in my dreams and abilities. I’d urge everyone to believe in themselves, even when no one else does. Belief being a very important key for anyone to move ahead in their respective career paths.
2. Did you ever think or dream of being an actor?
Growing up, I mostly dreamt about winning beauty pageants. Donning a crown over my head and changing the world for the better. Acting happened later, it happened in the process.
In school, my favourite subject was psychology and once I was given a glimpse of how we perform and act, courtesy my dramatics society in college, I realised that so much of acting has to do with the psychology of the character you play and that’s when I started loving acting and theatre.
I realise now, that being portraying different people on screen gives me a kind of high. It makes me challenge myself and it’s something that I can’t ever get tired of doing, at least not in this lifetime.
3. How can one approach their career and have the confidence and belief to become an actor?
The most important aspect of acting is your ability to act. And by that I mean the ability to convey what you’re feeling, through your expressing or gestures or just through your eyes. It’s very important that people understand the feeling that your character feels.
So I’d say the first thing to do is to join a theatre group, or an acting workshop before you work on things like your fitness and ‘looking good’.
It’s also important to get in touch with the right people, so if you’re from a non-acting background like me, join a talent agency first, they help you get genuine auditions. The confidence comes with knowing that you have the talent, so cultivate talent.
That’s how your belief and confidence in your own self increases. That being said, there will be times when their might be months of no work, and it’s so important, especially during such times to not lose faith. If you keep your faith, things always work out in the end!
4. If not this, what would you be doing?
If not acting, I think I’d be a writer. I love writing, especially poetry. Writing brings me solace and words have always had a special place in my heart. But who says I can’t be both? I’d still love to compile all my writings and release a book someday.
5. What piece of advice would you like to give to future aspiring artists?
To all aspiring artists I want to say that the most important thing to bring out your creativity is to be true to yourself and nurture your originality, nurture your art. That’s how legends became legends. They had confidence in their own quirks. So, embracing yourself and all that you are, is the first step towards growth.
Secondly, no matter how many big projects you may do, still be a leaner. Still go to every workshop with a blank slate of a mind, and be open to learning and absorbing the feedback’s and suggestions given to you by your coaches. Be humble, stay humble.
6. What is your mantra of success?
My mantra of success is to not take either my success or my failure to my heart. My success is a result of not just me, but various other people/circumstances around me, and the same goes for my failure.
What matters more for me, is how many hearts I touch through my content, and if I’d be able to make some kind of a difference or add meaning or happiness in peoples lives with my work. That’s what drives me.
7. Which is your favorite book and why?
I’ve said this before, ‘The Secret’ was a life changer for me. ‘Tuesday’s with Morrie’, was another such book. I can name hundreds of books, but let me keep it short and say that the self-help category is my favourite book section.
Actor, model and former Miss Asia. Starting with a passion for beauty pageants and winning all 4 that I competed in, I steered my career towards acting at the age of 18, starting with a Telugu movie. Since then I've been a part of various ad films, an acting reality TV Show (India's Next Superstar on Star Plus), an art film by the name of Sifar, and various other music videos. My most recent project was a TV series for Sony Channel, by the name of Ek Duje Ke Vaaste 2; and I'm currently working on a web series scheduled for release in the coming months.
- Interviewed By Paramjeet
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