After appearing in movies such as Taare Zameen Par, Bumm Bumm Bole and Midnight’s Children and the television dance reality show Jhalak Dikhhla Ja in 2012, Darsheel Safary was on a self-imposed sabbatical until this year, when he did a TV episode called Sun Yaar Try Maar. And now, the 19-year-old actor is all set to make his theatre debut with director Abhishek Pattnaik’s play Can I Help You? next month at the NCPA.
Although Darsheel, a second year BMM student from HR College, has acted in numerous plays throughout his school and college days, this is his debut on commercial stage. “The director approached me for the play and I was carried away by the script when I heard it. I have been wanting to do a full-fledged play for a long time and this seemed perfect,” says the teenager. Darsheel plays an aspiring cricketer, Rikhav, with a lot of issues. “Although I have been doing amateur theatre for a long time, with this play, I’m getting to learn a lot. I’m discovering how I can make this brash character likeable to the audience,” he says.
To add to that, he’s got great company. Stalwarts of theatre, including Dalip Tahil and Anant Mahadevan are part of the play too, and Darsheel says he couldn’t have asked for better co-stars. “These people are textbooks of drama. All I need to do is watch and learn and hopefully, be as good as them in future,” he adds. With just a month left for the play’s premiere, Darsheel says he’s really excited but is bound to feel the pressure on the day of his debut on stage. “I’m at an age where I can experiment. My dad told me to gain as much knowledge as I can before I get back to the big screen,” he says. And when will that happen? “Movies will happen when they have to. I’m waiting to grow up some more and for the right script to come along,” he signs off.
