Interview of drama artist Riddhi Dave

Riddhi Dave

Riddhi Dave is an young and enthusiastic theater artist, born to celebrity parents Ketki Dave and Rasik Dave. She has acted in a popular play “Mummy 20ni Dikri 40ni” with her mother. She recently came to Rajkot for her play “Dikri Number 1“. Rupal Tank, SpeakBindas Volunteer Correspondent got a chance to chit chat with her.

Video of Interview:

Part 1

Part 2

Excerpt of Interview:

Rupal Tank: Welcome to SpeakBindas. How does it feel to play your drama for audience of Rajkot?

• Riddhi Dave: It feels good. It’s a new kind of an audience. And in Gujarat, the good thing about audience is that they are very very appreciating, even little more than Mumbai. Response from Rajkot and Ahmedabad audience makes us feel like performing better. So it’s really good experience for sure.

Rupal Tank: Which was the first drama you played? How was the experience?

• Riddhi Dave: It was when I was six years old when I played my first role in a drama, although it was a very small role. I was allotted only one line to speak! It was in London. I was to enter the stage and gave a one line answer – as my dialogue.

• Being a child, I was to go back stage on curtain call and ask my Nani to announce my name as well, as she was the director of drama. Then I played few short roles in few dramas abroad. Having my family belonging to drama field, I was getting experience of both back and front stage situations.

• My first full-fledged drama was two years back. I played in more couple of drams after that. And the drama – Dikri Number 1 – I have come here at Rajkot to play for is my first full-fledged drama as a heroine or say leading role.

Rupal Tank: What are your future plans?

• Riddhi Dave: As of now, I want to give total devotion to my current running play, because it’s just not a good play but is based on an important issue which is how an young girl gets married, how difficult it is for her to adjust in her in-laws house. The story is like, the girl I play belongs to a Kapod family and gets married to a Jain Family. So for a girl coming from a different family has to adjust in Jain family which has different way of living, moreover, my father-in-law’s role is of a strict person.

• So it’s about how she adjusts with this new culture, making father-in-law happy. It’s based on a very delicate issue.

• So my future plan is to take this play places, hopefully abroad and all over INDIA. Other than that, I personally would love to do movies, and television of course if something good comes up. I mean, I believe in doing good work and make my parents proud.

Rupal Tank: So shall we hope that we will see you soon on television serials?

• Riddhi Dave: Please hope so! I keep auditioning so hopefully if something good comes up, I will definitely be doing the television. I am constantly trying.

Rupal Tank: Apart from acting, what are your hobbies?

• Riddhi Dave: My biggest hobby is to read. I love reading. I also love watching films. Other than that, I meet my friends. And the biggest hobby of all, rather a habit is to laugh. I like laughing. We make fun of people and we make fun of ourselves!

Rupal Tank: Being a daughter of celebrity parents, how much different do you feel? Does it help you or hamper you? How much different you want to make yourself going beyond your parents’ shadow?

• Riddhi Dave: I would honestly say that in my field it works sometimes against also, of course in a small way like people expect me to be good at acting even before I approach them! And if I cannot stand up to their expectations, it’s a bad thing. Good thing is that, I get easily recognized with my parents name, and for my small contribution, I get more response from the audience.

• But I take things positively, and I make myself work harder and to perform at their expectations. The biggest my-like example is Ranbir Kapoor. He too is trying hard to establish his own identity, as he comes from a family of actors. Just like that, I am too trying my level best to you know give as much as I can in my performance.

Rupal Tank: Many people take drama acting as a non-glamorous one. What you have to say about it?

• Riddhi Dave: The best thing about drama is that, you get live feedback from audience which instantly lets you know whether you going down or up to their expectations. And another good thing about drama artists is that, when they go for a bigger medium, say television or movies, it’s easier for them to get into the character. And I would say that in Gujarat and Mumbai, dramas have its own audience, and hence I won’t say that it’s that non-glamorous! And personally, I would like to add more contribution to dramas life. And we have examples of stage artists being successful at bigger mediums.

Rupal Tank: I believe that the charm of drama is almost over or say vanished. What’s your take on that?

• Riddhi Dave: I feel that it’s not vanished, it is changing rather. Like now more dramas are based on comedy. And at many places they are running good. And once in a while, some dramas come out having some proper feel, not just a mindless play.

Rupal Tank: What is the big difference between you and your mother – Ketki Dave?

• Riddhi Dave: It’s funny to know that people keep thinking I am exactly like her. They tell me “You look just like your Mom.” We look similar, agree, but in nature I am more like my Dad. Only look is the same, even my acting style too is different from her but that’s what I feel, not the people!

Rupal Tank: Which is the dream role you wish to play?

• Riddhi Dave: If you ask me about theatres, there are many plays of which roles are my dream roles, like some of them my Nani played, some my mother played. But one particular play by name “Sanket” which was in Hindi, and my mother had played a role of a deaf and dumb girl and she was raped in a village. So that is my dream role, and I want to play it anytime I get a chance to. And if you ask me films, then there is a long list. And in television also I have a dream role like “Jassi Jaisi Koi Nahi.” To me, that was a phenomenal show.

Rupal Tank: What you would like to say to your fans and friends through SpeakBindas?

• Riddhi Dave: If that goes in context of theatre, then I would expect that the young generation comes to watch dramas, as theatres is a part of our culture, and country. It’s not only Gujarat, but entire INDIA. It’s a beautiful form of entertainment that we have. So if young people you know start acting in theatre then more young will come to watch it. At least on my part, I am trying my level best.