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Interviews
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Following the Dream Philip Fisher interviews Pooja Shah - Star of Untouchable (not to mention Bend it Like Beckham) Many 12 year old girls read about famous Hollywood actresses and think "I want to do that". A far smaller number have the talent and good fortune to have a series of film and TV credits to their names in their early twenties. Pooja Shah has not taken the conventional route into the profession. No drama school and few of the bit parts in the likes of Casualty and The Bill that litter so many theatrical CVs. Before she left University in Brighton, she had already auditioned for a role in Bend it Like Beckham and the first few months of her professional career were spent on a film set playing Meena, "a typical Hounslow girl". This is a great contrast with most actors who would spend the equivalent part of their lives working as waiters or in telesales. This likeable, articulate young lady from Finchley exudes confidence and a real love of acting. Her agent may not like her saying it but she is so committed to the job that she would rather play a good part than do something unfulfilling for the money. Pooja's outlook is really refreshing. "I don't crave fame, I measure success in terms of job satisfaction - following the dream". Her first stage role is as one of the stars of Untouchable, the final play in The Bush Theatre's Naked Talent Festival, which has premiered new playwrights and brand new plays. This is a two-hander by a new playwright Simon Burt in which Pooja plays Manni, a 17 year old Asian girl from Wakefield who leaves a very sheltered home to move into a bedsit with her much more worldly-wise best friend. When she auditioned for this role, she was immediately struck by the personal chemistry when she read opposite Samantha Robinson, an actress fresh out of drama school with only one professional stage job to her credit. Director Natasha Betteridge and the producers had the same impression and now they are appearing together in the slice of teen life drama six nights a week. Despite their lack of experience, they have generally made a good impression even on hardened critics. The move to stage has reminded Pooja that she has nerves, although not to the extent that she was expecting, just a few butterflies in her stomach as curtain up approaches. As a teenager, she had played with the Finchley Youth Theatre but the first two years of professional life were spent on film sets or working on TV shows such as Holby City and Sky's Is Harry on the Boat?. In the latter show, she starred as a tour rep who gets up to everything under the sun. This was a good test of her parents' commitment to her acting career. They came through with flying colours and along with an extended family of aunts, uncles and cousins continue to provide Pooja with the tremendous support that clearly means so much to her. She has no doubt that her parents will love Untouchable and will not be shocked by the downward spiral of Manni from good daughter to lazy, vodka-swilling drunk. This has caused its own problems. "I always forget to make the vodka face". It is interesting to see the difference between the sheltered Yorkshire Hindu upbringing that Burt portrays and the reality of the child of liberal, westernised parents in North London. Pooja does identify with Manni but she went through similar pubertal changes about four or five years younger. This is why she imbues Manni with a kind of childlike innocence. She also had the mental strength to avoid many of the excesses of her character during her own formative years. Pooja believes that being a young Asian actress at the beginning of the Third Millennium is perfect timing. It is apparent that many writers are emerging who wish to write parts that she is suited to but there is a relative dearth of good actresses to play them. She thinks that this is cultural. While there is something of a tradition of Punjabi Sikhs taking up careers in acting, for a Hindu with a Gujerati background to do so is almost without precedent in the UK. As she says, agencies are packed with blue-eyed blondes chasing after work, so she has a real advantage and has made the most of it. This means that already Pooja is well-known to most of the major film and TV casting directors in Britain and gets regular auditions for plum roles. It has also now given her a chance to taste life on stage and she has thoroughly enjoyed the experience of playing before a live audience every night. When asked whether she prefers stage or screen work, her diplomatic answer is "whichever I am working on at the time". She regards stage work as very hard physically but has been surprised that the energy levels have been maintained so easily throughout the run. She attributes this to an adrenaline-building dance ritual that she and Sam have perfected as a pre-show warm-up. It may also be connected to the real pleasure that she derives from live performance - "every night is a fresh experience". Working on stage has clearly been a real eye-opener. Natasha Betteridge, with Simon Burt's help, has allowed her inexperienced actors real freedom to comment on and develop the production. The rehearsal period was only two weeks and Pooja could not believe that the play would even open, as 3-4 days away from the big night no one seemed to know their lines or moves. The more experienced heads reassured her and, as if by magic everything fell into place. The Wakefield accent also had to appear. For someone who had never had to put on an accent before, this was a real challenge but with the help of a couple of sessions with a voice coach, she made it. If there are any producers reading this she would love to do a transfer. Leeds seems an obvious possibility. This Disney fan who was rendered speechless by the set and costumes of The Lion King sees her imminent future as a film and TV actress, maybe with a long run in a soap. In an ideal world this would open doors for major West End roles. She is very single-minded and can't imagine a career that isn't centred around acting or drama. Do not forget the name: Pooja Shah has great talent and intelligence and after a flying start is likely to be one of the more successful British Asian actresses of her generation. While nothing is ever certain, it may be something of a surprise if, after a well-deserved holiday at the end of the run of Untouchable at the Bush Theatre, this determined young actress isn't increasing her profile with some major screen parts in 2003. Untouchable runs at the Bush Theatre until 21st December. There's a special 2 for 1 ticket deal available for BTG readers. Go here to find out more!
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