MUMBAI: Actress Ridheema Tiwari has a strong association with theatre. The actor says that a theatre background helps actors perform better. ‘Theatre benefits an actor in many ways: physically, emotionally, and socially. Especially when it comes to improvisation, it helps understand how to appraise situations, think outside the box, and be more confident going into unfamiliar situations. It also helps stretch beyond your own limits of imagination, empathy, cooperation, concentration, and improves communication skills. The process of rehearsal, preps, and improvisations is toiling yet fun. The real kick lies in the immediate response by the live audience. It's instant gratification with a real time appraisal of an actor’s performance. The energy, vibe, focus, and the continuous onstage depth an actor experiences leads him or her into a deeper meditative organic valley of emotions,’ she says.

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Ask her who she loves to see on stage, and she says, ‘Lilette Dubey is my most favourite theatre artist, and so are Rajit Kapur and Naseeruddin Shah. I can't decide between these three. Although a noted film and TV actor, Lilette has been more active as a theatre artist. She discovered theatre early on in her life and hasn’t looked back ever since. She runs her own theatre company, The Primetime Theatre, and has acted and directed some of the most wildly successful plays. Rajitji has been a fabulous co-actor and entertainer on the sets of film Begumjaan and is most remembered for his award-winning portrayal of Mahatma Gandhi in the 1996 film by the same name. Naseerji is an institute. My love for cinema began with his film Jaane Bhi Do Yaaro. Again, he was my co- actor in the film Begumjaan. He has been active in theatre for more than three decades now and has given us some great plays like Einstein, A Walk in The Woods, Dear Liar, Ismat Aapa Ke Naam, Julius Caesar, and Antigone.’

While theatre had to compete with TV and films earlier, it now to compete with the web too. However, she says that this will not affect theatre. ‘We are talking about two different platforms here. Theatre is timeless; web is trending. Web has only a fraction of what theatre can provide to a discerning fan and critic of true acting and performance. Web series will certainly attract and appeal to more and more people in our fast-paced lifestyle due to the freedom to watch it whenever and wherever, but the joy of going to a theatre and seeing a live play or show is unbeatable,’ she says.