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Time of India

Hope my research contributes to theatre academia: Abhinay on completing PhD

Abhinay Banker Abhinay Banker , who has impressed audiences in popular plays like Welcome Zindagi and films like Reva, has also mentored students in theatre. And recently, he completed his PhD in Theatre Arts (Drama). His thesis was on Redefining the Psychophysical Dynamics of Acting: An Actor's Perspective. The Bhram actor shares, 'I never wanted to become a professor, but everything happened on its own. I am grateful to my research guide, Dr Pranav Joshipura, for supporting me in becoming the first student to complete PhD in Theatre Arts from Gujarat University .' Excerpts: 'I realised that a detailed research can help others too' I was an average student in school and college. In 2009, I did my bachelor's in Performing Arts (Theatre) and earned a gold medal. If you love doing something, you must go deep to understand and learn it. So, I attended a lot of acting workshops while working as an actor in theatre and films. One such workshop, Adishakti Theatre in 2016, showed me Indian forms and techniques of art that were beyond Stanislavski method of acting and other American theatre techniques. I used those techniques in my performances and found great results. I realised that if it has helped me, a detailed research and guide can help others too. A decade after my bachelor's, I did my master's and started my PhD in 2022. So, before my research, the theme was already in practice, I just had to explore it more to make it reach the right people. 'I tried to explore different acting methods' Every theatre practitioner has learnt about Stanislavski's acting method, where actors draw on their own experiences and emotions to create characters. For the longest time, we have been doing the same, but we keep on doing thousands of shows of plays, so for how long can we keep reliving the same emotion? It also led to adverse scenarios where actors couldn't step out of their reel self. With that thought in mind, I have highlighted the importance of getting in and getting out of the emotions with breathing techniques, where the emotions aren't lost in your performance, but actors can snap out of it easily. I tried to explore different acting methods than the ones we were usually told about. 'Breathing techniques helped me in successfully getting out of complex characters' Before I researched and learnt about breathing techniques, I subconsciously had some habit or trait of the characters I played for a long time in different plays. But after learning the technique, I have played two of the most complex characters of my career in my upcoming films- Kadaknath and Manch. I adapted the technique and have been able to get out of those characters successfully without getting impacted by their grey and dark characteristics. Abhinay adds, "I didn't complete my PhD with the aim of becoming a professor. It was an in-depth research meant for using in my acting and performances, and for actors who want to try this approach, since it is now scientifically proven. A lot of colleges offering bachelor's and master's degrees in Theatre still have old techniques and forms in their courses, which need to be updated. I hope my research can contribute to theatre academia. As suggested by seniors in the field, I'm also planning to publish it as a book (in English and Gujarati) soon." On doing grey characters more, Abhinay shares, "I am offered a lot of grey characters because people think I am a serious actor. However, I would love to explore comedy and even unconventional romantic characters."