'There is never a dull moment,' declares Gaurav Chopra about his commercial comedy FOUR PLAY, which is currently running to full houses. The charming actor and dancer relates that he's been lucky so far to be a part of lavish stage productons.  Deepa Ranade FOUR PLAY is garnering a fabulous audience response... Oh yeah! Three houseful shows, standing ovation, and compliments galore. One couldn't ask for more. Producer, director, actor Vandana Sajnani relates a charming incident about how you went down on your knee and kissed her hand after a party and that gesture won you the role in FOUR PLAY! Vandana is a gracious hostess and I don't know if I won her by my charm or she won me over by her graciousness. I was so pleasantly surpried with how gracefully she was hosting the party that I went up to her and kissed her hand. But there was no intention behind it. It was just a compliment. I didn't know what the character was then. I was just being myself. How demanding is Theatre? It is very demanding in terms of time. It makes matters worse if you are dabbling in other mediums. I am doing a film with Red Chillies - a comedy about four guys. I am also doing a cameo in the TV serial, Uttaran. So it involves a lot of time management. Theatre itself requires a discipline of its own. I am from Delhi and many aspirants ask me how to be an actor. I tell them that we all lie and pretend so each one of us can be an actor, but to be a good actor is difficult. Theatre is a medium where you are facing the audience and there is no re-take option. You have to deliver absolutely bang on. You have to perform as per the type of audience. Your eye contact, emphasis and punches have to be delivered accordingly and that comes from technique, and confidence. I have been part of several stage productions but the tone of FOUR PLAY is what we actors relish. It is not just a part you play prominently, but a part which is prominently different. What do you like most about FOUR PLAY? It keeps the actor as well as the audience on their toes. There is never a dull moment and it is as situational as it is performed. Most of my scenes are with Rajesh Khattar, and not only is he experienced and equipped, but he's also very competitive on stage - so you have to be at your best. During the third show, I was feeling a little under weather with cold and cough but once on stage I realised there is no sympathy coming from the co-actor and you have to pull your act together! It is healthy competition. I like that the most. Does it help working with friends - Mouni Roy, Vandana Sajnani, and Rajesh Khattar? It doesn't help but to a great extent, it is a huge factor at the starting point because you are not starting with silences or breaking the ice - you can straight away improvise and take criticism becasue they are all known people. It instantly becomes a collaboration. That's nice. By now, we all know each other well. To Vandana's credit, it is a democratic set up where anyone can get up in the middle of the rehearsals and say ' this scene is not working.' Are you a trained actor? What is your stage experience? I am not a trained actor but I have been very lucky to be a part of big stage productions right from the beginnng. My first stage show at the age of 17 was a lavish production - THE TALE OF TWO STORIES - staged in front of a 30,000 strong crowd in Delhi. I was studying to be a fashion designer in NIFT then and it was a big Musical. All my shows have been money making ventures with a big canvas and great production values. My stage experience include the Bollywood imitation of a West End kind of show staged in South Africa in 2005. It was called BOMABY CRUSH after a popular drink there. They wanted a lead actor from India and they selected me for it. I was in South Africa for almost 8-10 months for it. It was a huge success there. On the strength of that I got the film Blood Diamond with Leonardo Di Caprio. In 2008 I did Morani's SET YOUR DREAMS, a huge Bollywood Broadway show. My co-star was Lucky Morani. They will be reviving it and we will be travelling with it soon. Last year I was a part of THE DATING TRUTHS with Shekhar Suman as the sutradhar and I was the Mr. Right. It was funny and very contemporary. And now it's FOUR PLAY. You have also been a part of dance shows like Nach Baliye on TV. Any more dance shows for you? Which is your favourite form of dance? Mouni and I were a part part of a Diwali special romantic celebrity dance sequence recently. It was a medley of songs choreographed by Saroj Khan to which she added her own nakhras and nuances. That was very sweet. I am not a trained dancer but I enjoy most forms. BOMABY CRUSH was my foray into dancing. It had 17 songs and 22 scenes playing for 2 hours 10 minutes without a break in between. We had to keep the audience captivated. It included mutli cultural dances and elements - hip hop, African, Latin Salsa, Western classical and tribal. But people seem to like me best in Latin dancing. *Deepa Ranade is a film and theatre reviewer. 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