Bollywood Hungama

EXCLUSIVE: Damini Chopra on her play Jigsaw, You will never guess whats going to happen in the next minute

After studying theatre in Harvard, Damini Chopra is now all set to showcase various shades of herself as an actor in the upcoming play Jigsaw, which is premiering in Mumbai on Sunday September 20. It is written and directed by Bharat Dabholkar, who is also her co-star. In an exclusive chat with Bollywood Hungama, Damini recalled the interesting events that led to her casting in the play. I had reached out to Bharat Dabholkar way back in 2019, she said. He is a theatre veteran, I was new to Bombay and I wanted to work with him. I had done theatre at Harvard. We met, it was a promising meeting but nothing came out of it. As an actor, you follow up a few times or few months and then when you dont get a positive response, you drop it. Hence, she wasnt in touch with Dabholkar for a few years. I kept doing my work. Randomly a few months back he called me and said that he is looking for a lead girl and I am just perfect for it. He said he remembered that I had once auditioned. I said that was so many years ago. So, thats how this happened, revealed Damini. The actor described the play saying, Jigsaw is a one-thrill a minute play. You will never guess whats going to happen in the next minute. You would think you have figured it out but then you will have to look again. Despite the play being serious in nature, Damini had good fun while rehearsing it. Dabholkar sir doesnt carry the weight of his seniority and that makes such a huge difference. He is a great director. He protects you a lot from a lot of hassles that happen on sets. He keeps you focused on your job. So, that really helps. What a lot of people dont know is that he is a really fun guy. Even though this is a thriller and a serious play, we were laughing half way through the rehearsals, she said. In suspense thrillers, there is a chance that spoilers can be revealed on social media. Touching upon this challenge, Damini said, As an actor, especially when you are doing a suspense and thriller, the challenge is not how much are you going to hide it. The challenge is that every time you watch me, you should enjoy it as much. There is very little you can do to stop spoilers on social media. But what I can do as an actor and what I aim for is that every time you watch me, you have to enjoy. To achieve this, Damini revealed that they have ensured that no two performances of Jigsaw would be the same. We have practiced various versions of the same scene, she said. You will watch one version. Then when you come for the next version, you will realize that I am doing it differently. Apart from the play, Damini is also excited for her next project, which is in the international zone. There is something very interesting on the horizon, which is westwards, she said. I have studied theatre in Harvard. So, I have a network there. I was just there and I have shot for something, which we would be able to talk about very soon. That is in a spy-thriller zone. I have seen so much of Rosamund Pike growing up that I am manifesting characters like her. I can also attribute that to my physical training. I am an aerial silk artist and gymnast. Along with acting, Damini Chopra is also involved in her NGO, which is working with the Government of Maharashtra to take AI to vernacular medium students studying in Hindi, Marathi and Urdu. Acting and NGO both are my dreams. I am just happy to live my dream and I am just going to continue doing that, she signed off.