Like any other teenager, I remember being unhappy about the way I looked. I used to be in awe of the actresses on screen with their perfect shapes, flawless skin, and impressive hairdos.
I assumed that was the best profession on earth — getting to look beautiful always, feeling like a princess with people always doting on you… But that was until the day I read the book The Winner Stands Alone by Paulo Coelho.
Now I realise that actors are like canvases — people (fashion designers, make-up artists, hair stylists) use them to display their talent. They’ve got to act, walk and talk like the characters they portray and never themselves. They have to keep speaking the dialogue given in the script and doing the same thing for different angles of the camera, take after take, until the shot is perfect. And the dubbing...tedious, right? (When I am expected to explain a theory to my sibling more than once I lose my temper!)
Plus, think of all the public appearances and interviews; every word has the best potential to spark off a huge controversy. Right from what they think, what they do and everything in their life are always scrutinised and judged.
And thus I realised this profession also requires a lot of dedication, hard work, perfection, energy and sacrifice. So, I continue to look upon these actors, but now for these qualities.
The writer is a student of I Year, BDS, Sri Venkateshwara Dental College
