Revanta Sarabhai: Cutting is a new beginning for the Gujarati industry

Revanta Sarabhai is a renowned classical dancer and Gujarati actor proficient at both of the crafts. The actor, who has worked in theatre, films and television, is a part of the Gujarati web series Cutting.

Revanta plays the role of one of the customers of the ‘Perfect Look Salon,’ run by Mayur Chauhan’s Sunny and Hemang Shah’s Bobby. The dancer-actor spoke to OTTplay exclusively about his series and the effort to break stereotypes.

Excerpts from the interview:

Acting or dancing, what would you pick if you were held at gunpoint?

That’s an impossible choice for me because they have been such a big part of my upbringing and career that they are like two hands of the same body.

Tell us about your role in Cutting.

I play a man who has completely sacrificed his life for a job and is drowned in his work. He is unable to say no to his boss or opportunities and thus, his personal life suffers.

Was it interesting to play that?

A lot of us go through this in life. We have goals and ambitions and we don’t realise which other part of our life suffers.

What was it like to make your web debut?

It was like shooting for student films in college, mainly because it was in the middle of lockdown. It was a young team open to ideas. We could freely discuss and suggest things. It is a new beginning for the Gujarati industry.

It is unique to see a trained Bharatnatyam dancer finding a place in the Gujarati industry. Have people been accepting of your roots?

If at all there is some kind of struggle, it is with regards to people’s perception. Initially in 2014-15, when I got my first offer for a Gujarati film, it was because my real-life personality matched the character. Once people saw me doing films, they were surprised to notice my leap. I think a few still see me as a dancer more than an actor.

Are web shows any different from films?

One of the major advantages of web series is that you don’t need to stick to the 180-minute format. Nobody wants to go and watch a film for 3 hours in theatres but with web series, people are ready to watch it even for 8 hours. There’s also an opportunity to explore characters in-depth and tell long-form stories.

What are your upcoming projects?

The COVID lockdown affected a lot of people and many projects got stalled. There were some projects lined up which are indefinitely postponed now. A film which I shot just before the lockdown, called Mara Pappa Superhero, directed by Darshan Trivedi, has been selected for the London Indian Film Festival. It will be available for online streaming soon. It’s about a group of young girls tackling the class divide, with the support of a father who will do anything for them. There are a few more projects but I can’t divulge more details about them.