A lively and fun loving person by nature, it takes Samiksha Ratnakar Desai but a moment
to slip into character before stepping on stage or facing the camera. A stage
and film actress, Samiksha has been part of the acting world for almost a
decade and yet, to her, this journey still feels like a dream. She recently won
the best actress award for the Marathi Drama Competition ‘A’ Group organised by
Kala Academy for her role of Radhika in the drama ‘Nat Navacha Natak’ staged by
Rasrang Ugve, Pernem, which also won the second place at the competition,
qualifying it for the 57th Marathi State Amateur Drama Competition in
Maharashtra, along with the first place winner, ‘And a Poisoned Apple For Me
Please’ by Mangalmurti Kala Bahar, Bironda.
‘We presented the play at Nanded,
Maharashtra and I was awarded a silver medal for acting in the female category,
which is very encouraging. I play four different characters of the women who
come in the life of the male lead. This was one of the most challenging roles I
have played as I had to be quick with costume changes and getting into
different characters. In Goa, people know me and compliment me for my work but
it was a huge motivation when members of the audience came up to me and were
surprised to know that I had played all four roles. They didn’t even recognise
me,” says Samiksha, who’s now back in Goa.
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Samiksha had stage fright as a child. She avoided getting on
stage in school at all cost. Once she completed her class 12, her father
enrolled her for the one year certificate course in theatre at Kala Academy
School of Drama in Panjim. “I still remember standing outside Kala Academy’s
premises, crying because I didn’t know what I would do in class. I thought it
was a week-long workshop and then I found out it was a one year course. This
was my father’s dream and he wanted to see me take the stage. Over the one
year, I acted in nine plays. Vasant Josalkar, a well known actor and member of
the National School of Drama, conducted an acting workshop and he appreciated
my work, which prompted me to take up acting more seriously,” she reminisces.
Samiksha was part of Rangmell, the Kala Academy Repertory
Company, and performed two English plays, ‘Post Office’ and ‘Red Oleander’, in
Ireland. Over the years, she has acted in commercial plays and one act plays in
Marathi and English while completing her graduation, MA in Konkani at Goa
University and MPA in Dramatics from Kolhapur University. She has also acted in
National Award-winning Konkani films like ‘Baga Beach’ and ‘Enemy’, for which
she was awarded the Best Supporting Actress at the Goa Film Festival 2016. She
also acted in films like ‘Digant’, ‘A Rainy Day’, ‘Home Sweet Home –I and II’
and short films in Konkani, Marathi and Hindi. She was also awarded the
Yashodamini Award by the Government of Goa.
However, her first love is still theatre. “I started my journey
with theatre and I love being on stage, being spontaneous, compared to the
retakes that happen on the sets of a film. We practise earnestly for our
performances, for months, before going on stage and you have to be prompt. It
is a different atmosphere while working on a film,” says Samiksha, who was also
working for the Department of Art and Culture as a theatre art teacher.
Acknowledging the role that a director plays, Samiksha mentions
the director of her debut film, ‘Digant’, Dnyanesh Moghe. “As I was coming from
a theatre background, he was perfect with his timings and he knew how to take
care of his artistes very well. I understood the basics of acting for films
through his direction. He treats everyone with respect on the sets,” she
explains.
‘Nat
Navacha Natak’ has been staged in Vasco, Sanquelim and Panjim and will be
performed next in Ponda in May.
