Team Plattershare In A Tete A Tete With Raazi Actor Ashwath Bhatt – His Food Habits, Fitness Advice And More…

Ashwath Bhatt, after his graduation from National School of Drama- New Delhi, did his Post Graduation in classical acting and Acting instruction from LAMDA (London Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts) London. He was the first recipient of prestigious Inlaks foundation scholarship for Theatre/Acting.

Apart from teaching, he regularly performs his one man show ‘Ek Mulaqat Manto Se’ (A rendezvous with Manto) based on life and times of Sadat Hasan Manto. He has performed at various festivals around the globe and is widely known for his work on ‘Red Nose Clowning’ theatre form in India. In 2007, he established non-profit trust – Theatre Garage Project. The philosophy behind his work is ‘Finding something in nothing’. He is currently building a work space- HUMOUR FACTORY STUDIO which will work towards spreading the use of ‘Art of Clowning’ in acting.

Plattershare’s content partner, Parinaaz Marolia caught up with this multitalented actor for a quick Q and A on the release of his new movie Raazi.

Read on to get to know him in his own words.

P.S.: Ashwatt what inspired you to take up acting as a full-time profession?

A.B.: Actors are all narcissists and want to be seen and be the centre of attention, but when you grow up, you look beyond the glitz and glamour and the sheer craft of acting gives you happiness. Growing up I dabbled a lot in theatre and I still do, so being in that space makes me really happy, it gives an outlet to your feelings, emotions and your traumas. The best part is that I get to play so many characters that in ordinary life I would probably never have even met, but now get to actually live their lives, by going beyond my own self. All this collectively inspired me to take up acting.

PS.: What do you love doing more, theatre or films?

A.B.: Well theatre is oxygen for me, but you have to pay your bills (laughs heartily) hence films. No, but on a serious note, movies give you instant exposure to such a large audience all over the world now, as long as I am doing what I want to do and I’m happy and content it’s great, it doesn’t matter what the medium is, as long as it make you content.

P.S.: Would you like to tell us something about ‘Red Nose Clowning” and the Art of Clowning’ in acting.

A.B.: I got acquainted with red nose clowning when I was studying in London. Clowning is the raw form of acting, it is a very liberating form, unfortunately there are many phobias attached to clowning, but clowns are childlike and bring joy to many people. These days a lot of people have adapted red nose clowning as it brings laughter and joy to people, when I stated doing it ten years ago, there was a lot of resistance for acceptance from the audience as they were never exposed to this sort of acting. However today the scenario is different and people are more open to different forms of expression, this makes me truly happy. One feedback that I often get from my workshops on asking my students “How do you feel now?” and they say “Liberated!”. 

P.S.: Tell us something about your everyday food habits.

A.B.: I come from Kashmir and our cuisine is both rich and delicious. I do like to indulge in home cooked food whenever I get the chance, however I need to keep fit and in good shape, so for that I avoid extremely oily food and do have a handful of almonds everyday. 

P.S.: Tell us about something that you avoid consuming at all costs.

A.B.: I always try to avoid very pungent food as it causes heartburn and acidity and is also bad for my voice. I also avoid junk food as much as possible and also avoid cold water at all costs as it is not good for your body.

PS: What do you like to indulge in to make your soul happy?

A.B.: (Laughs) Well I love eating ice-creams (who doesn’t?!), but I do avoid them as much as possible (sadly).

P.S.: What is your poison?

A.B.: I am a teetotaller and don’t have any form of alcohol, the notion that all actors sit with a bottle everyday is now passé, in fact most actors are very health conscious and believe in eating clean as much as possible, the baton has now been passed onto the I.T. guys (he adds jokingly).

P.S.: Could you give one fitness advice for our readers at Plattershare.

A.B.: There is an old saying that goes “First you lose health to gain money and then give money to gain health”, so that’s exactly what happens these days. Most people complaint of no time for fitness, but it doesn’t need too much. Walk, from one place to another or break into a light jog, but just keep moving and if that isn’t possible either, just play your favourite tracks and move your body to the music.

P.S.: Thank you for this lovely interview, would you leave us with any parting words?

A.B.: Thank you team Plattershare for the interview and do go watch Raazi!

We hope you loved reading this interview, if you did please leave a like and a comment below this post, also tell us if you would like to read more such interviews by Team Plattershare.

About the Author: Parinaaz is an MBA Finance by profession and writer by passion. She blogs at “A Dollop of That!”, her food blog, that was the outcome of her passion for writing, which surfaced often but never overflowed and since she loves to experiment with ingredients, a recipe blog was her natural choice.

When Parinaaz is not blogging, she doubles up as a content partner for Plattershare, practices Iyengar yoga, mimics all and sundry or is out and about photographing pretty flowers all depending on what time of the day it is. You can be in touch with Parinaaz on her blog – A Dollop of That, or like her Facebook page, or follow her on Instagram, Twitter and Google+