Acting can't be learnt from books or film schools: Neeraj Kabi at KIFF

kolkata: Did you know the secret of a performer lies in his spine? Everything that an actor does comes from his spine. When 'Ship of Theseus' and 'Sherni' actor Neeraj Kabi was at the 28th Kolkata International Film Festival (KIFF) to conduct a master class on 'Actor', it was as if the audiences were transported into a film school class.

As the audience listened to the 'Paatal Lok' and 'Sacred Games' actor with apt attention, he explained what separates an actor from normal people. "A normal person is concerned about his life and his happiness. An actor is concerned about the collective problems of the universe," he said. A self-taught actor, Kabi who was recently seen in Dulquer Salmaan and Mrunal Thakur's Telugu film 'Sita Raman', said the schools of acting can put a person on the path of acting. However, acting cannot be learned from books or film schools. "The institutes are there to initiate a person. After that, the story is yours. A film school can put you on the path of acting," he said.

If the actor doesn't have enough experience, he needs to experience life more and collect those experiences and even needs to get affected by them.

Explaining what an actor is, the 'Sherni' actor said, "Acting is about human beings, human emotions, feelings and relationships and humanity at large. An actor is that person who transforms himself (his body, voice, and mind) into that of the character such that the audience experiences what the actor experiences at a deeper level of his consciousness."

He then mentioned how the actor doesn't speak the text, but he is himself the text. "The actor trains his breath so that it can create emotions," Kabi said.

Speaking about Natya Shastra and the Bhava-Rasa, which establishes a relationship between the audience and the performer, the 'Raahgir' actor explained about Vibhava, Anubhava, Vibyachari, and Sthayi bhava.

The 'Taj Mahal' actor doesn't mince words when he explained how it is paramount for an artiste to experience life.

"An actor can draw from his memories, and experiences and put that into the performances he is playing. He should be able to draw from others' life and allow himself to be affected by somebody else's life. That is why actors do research. The job of the actor is to absorb life and allow him to affect," he said.