Interview with Gillian Pinto

Friends happy to share the Interview with recently released Nirmal Anand Ki Puppy Actress Gillian Pinto . 

What inspired you to get into the Theatres or in Acting ? Any specific moment you wish to share with readers ? 

Gillian - I love living the life of different characters. Being on stage makes me happy, the thrill of performing in front of an audience. The energy and the rush is indescribable. I fell more in love with cinema while shooting for my fim Nirmal Anand Ki Puppy. 

Can you brief about the journey towards being an Actress from student to this stage ?

Gillian - I have always acted in plays in school, I was even a singer and loved the performing arts. However I only decided to pursue it as a career while I started rehearsing a play in Pune - Girish Karnad's Tale Danda, after quitting my job of 4 years in an MNC. One play, led to another and then another, untill one day I got to host a travel show for a Television channel. I just got drawn into this beautiful yet absolutely uncertain world of the arts, without pausing to think or strategize or make any goals for my future. I am still on this journey of learning, unlearning, re - learning and reinventing :-)

What is so special In recently released Nirmal Anand ki Puppy , any memorable moments while in the shoot and why should everyone watch this movie ?

Gillian - Nirmal Anand Ki Puppy is a story of love, loss, heartbreak, joy, relationships, family and simply life in general. The characters are regular people you come across everyday, and i think the audience can relate to them and their journey, their dilemmas, and little joys of life. 

Being a tight budget independent film, we had a lot of work to cover within a span of about 21 days. Working long hours together made the cast and crew pretty much a family for the entire period. It was fun, challenging, exciting and a wonderful learning experience shooting this guerilla film. I think the best part about it would be shooting with Hermione, who plays the puppy in the film :)

Do you think actors should always remain in touch with Theatres ?

Gillian - Theatre is a wonderful medium of expression, it is an actor's medium and it sort of frees your performance. While it is an actor's personal choice, I feel it is great to perform in all mediums, including theatre and voice acting. 

Could you please provide the best of your experience in any of the theatre plays , that is very much unique and you would never forget ?

Gillian - I think every theatre performance experience has left a lasting impression. But the most memorable are the one's where you travel for shows. In 2016 we travelled to London for a week with my play "Gauhar". We were on a very tight schedule with no free days in between show days. So we would wake up really early in the morning, have our breakfast quickly and then head out to experience the beautiful sites of London and watch some Musicals. Then head back in time for our show. Post the show we'd sometimes go out to eat or to the local pub close by for an IPA. Hectic days but so much fun and so many wonderful memories :)

Can you give a small idea for ideasforideas.org readers about opportunities in this domain ? 

Gillian - I think now with the rise in OTT content, there are certainly opportunities available. But no one is going to hand it to you. You have to put yourself out there, audition, work on your craft, build relationships and at the same time, do things that make you happy :)