Seen in web series Baked, Comedy Couple and Made in Heaven, actor Pranay Manchanda talks about his journey

How does it feel that your first film has released in theatres now? I'm currently on an emotional roller-coaster as my first film Tara Vs Bilal has been released in theatres. Tell us about your role in the film. I play Bilal's childhood friend Jiggy. He is a Gujju doctor living in London, who is in love with Rits, a drag queen working at a gay bar. Jiggy is honest, loyal, extremely sincere, and unfazed in his moves. The creators have kept a beautiful track for him in the film. How was your experience working with Harshvardhan Rane and Sonia Rathee? They're lovely to work with, such hard-working and thoughtful actors. They have very different energies, but complement each other well. How and when did you decide to take up acting? My love for acting and the stage came at a very young age when my parents enrolled my sister and me for a drama workshop because I was too shy. Little did they know that they were about to create a monster! After my MA in Classical Acting from LAMDA in London, I started a theatre company in Delhi. Then I did a show called Baked, after which I moved to Mumbai. Acting or directing, which one do you like the most? I can't possibly choose. I want to do everything and that's what makes me happy. I wouldn't like acting as much if I didn't direct and I wouldn't love to direct if I didn't act! Are you into theatre also? Absolutely, my theatre company still runs and though not as often as I'd like to, I still do work in plays. That's where I can flap my wings. What kind of roles do you wish to play in future? I gravitate towards characters and roles that are quite far from where I emotionally am at that current moment. And right now I'm looking forward to playing something darker, more sinister, someone with moral deviances and dilemmas. The idea of exploring moral and ethical grey areas through my characters is very enticing. What's your next release? A couple of shows of mine should be out soon, apart from that I'm directing and writing something too.

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