“I started my theatre arts journey in 2018. A few of my friends from my batch in college encouraged me to get into professional acting during the final year of my B.Tech. Initially, they suggested I get into an acting school but as it was very expensive, my btech classmates have found another way to seek training in acting & decided to get me into theatre arts. I auditioned with Samahaara Theatre Group and got into Theatre arts. I was with the Samahara group for 1.5 years having performed 8 plays in which we performed 60 shows all over India.

Later I got an opportunity to become an assistant director for the film named ‘Akasa Veedhullo.’ It was a memorable 6 months for me working with the team and I have learned a lot about filmmaking during the process. After that project, I joined Nibha Theatre Ensemble.

We continued rehearsals and shows online even during the pandemic with Nasreen Ishaque, who’s the director of Nibha Theatre Ensemble and now we are back again performing in front of a live audience. Through Nibha I have performed nearly 30 shows so far.

Prior to becoming a theatre artist & film actor, I was a professional dance choreographer from Hyderabad. Though they’re both in the performing arts, when it comes to training, I believe acting requires much more patience & dedication than dancing.

Coming from a middle-class family, it wasn’t easy for me to pursue performing arts full-time. After completing my B.Tech, I worked as an intern in a corporate firm for a couple of weeks before joining theatre arts. Initially, my parents weren’t aware of my work. However, after watching my performances on stage in front of a live audience, they were happy and started to encourage my passion.

It took some time for them to understand but eventually, I was able to gain their trust.”

• Kiran Yarnam, Artist