Nidhi Singh, known for playing Tanya in popular web series Permanent Roommates (TVF) and feature film Brij Mohan Amar Rahe , believes that working in these two mediums require same amount of hard work. As an actor, she wants to pull a larger portion of audience towards digital content and change its perception by doing challenging roles.
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How do you see your life as a film actor?
I feel very humbled and privileged to be a part of a feature film because it is a big deal to get a chance to work in film industry. Also, it is very nice to do what you really love doing and call it a profession. Cinema is a grand medium and I can never cease to be amazed by the fact that this has happened. Sweety, the character I play in Brij Mohan Amar Rahe, is not close to my personality in real life but yes I have her survival instinct in me. I am not as strong as her as her life has bigger challenges but I can relate to her as she is also trying to make the best out of her each day.
What kept you motivated throughout your journey from Allahabad to Mumbai?
As a performer, we always seek some kind of approval or validation from our audience. You have a craft and you want to show it to the world. That is a big responsibility. After Permanent Roommates , the appreciation kept pouring in and every single word said in appreciation is an inspiration to me. My father is a doctor and my mother is a teacher. They asked me to study hard and you cannot even fool them very easily (laughs). I think they have very strong values and they instil that in me from a very young age. They just wanted me to do well in life no matter what I do in my life. That was my support system.
Was anyone from the family involved in arts?
My mother is a wonderful singer as she is trained in music. But she chose to teach younger children because she wanted to work at the foundation level. She likes to add value to what she is doing and try to do best she can do. It was still bizarre to make them realise that this is what I want to do in my life. My younger brother is a singer too. I come from a talented family and I am the least talented one! But after that I fell in love with performing arts and I believe that if you are familiar with one art, you will respect every art form and that is why I respect what I do and try to excel in that.
Did working in advertising industry help you in understanding acting?
Right after my school, I came to Mumbai and started associating myself with every creative work I could. I even used to go to malls to tell stories to children by acting Santa. I joined advertising because it is a creative field and you get a chance to work very closely with actors. Later, I became an assistant director as it allowed me to remain close to the shooting process. I assimilated everything I could and learnt a lot on the shoots. I realised that I do want to become an actor and that is why I joined theatre to sharpen my skills.
How do you see the rise of digital space?
There is democracy in online content as everyone is free to making content on it. It has created a new profession today as something called a YouTuber is a profession now which could not have been possible ten years before.
There is so much money being pumped in and there is something unique in it and that is why people believe in it. We are new to it but we are all learning along the way as there are no set standards. People have an option of choosing as there are too many platforms coming up but that is good for a reason that it will enhance the level of content. It will be hard to engage an audience which has too many options. There is a lot of foreign content but what will keep them stick to us is how we are going to relate to their life.
