On a ‘role’

BENGALURU: Tanvee Ravi is busy gearing up for a one-woman show. The city-based actor will step into the shoes of five characters for her upcoming online performance Second Best, written by her and directed by Neha Singh. “The play is based on the siblings of those with autism and the five characters are scripted on qualities of a superwoman,” says Ravi. 

While 2020 was an unpredictable year for theatre artistes, her year ended on a better note, more so after she bagged the best actress award at the Mumbai Shorts International Film Festival. She received accolades for her role – of a woman forced to take an extreme step for things she went through – in the short film Nitya, which was directed by Pradeep Padma Kumar.

The Gujarat-born, Chennai-raised artiste began her journey with theatre in namma Ooru in 2011, with Judith Bidapa at the Tortilla Entertainment Company. Despite being born and raised in different cities, Bengaluru remains close to her heart. “Bengaluru’s weather, idly, vada, and coffee are my favorites. This city gives you the time and space to heal from anything,” says Ravi. 

When she moved to Mumbai in 2013 to attend the Drama School Mumbai, little did she know that she would essay intense characters in her future projects. Take, for instance, the play 07/07/07, directed by Faezhi Jalali, an actress and director, known for her role in Slumdog Millionaire. The play was based on the true story of Reyhaneh Jabbari, a 19-year-old girl, who spent seven years in prison and was executed for stabbing a man who tried to sexually assault her.

“It has been an honour to tell the story of Jabbari. She was 26 when she died and I was 26 when I played her. The resilience with which she withstood all kinds of torture is awe-inspiring and will always remain with me,” says Ravi, who adds, “Humour and intensity are both my forte. I am an empath. You discover things you didn’t know about yourself when you do theatre.”