'Sometimes The Quietest Characters Can Leave The Most Lasting Impression': Prachee Shah Paandya On Aadarsh Baal Vidyalaya
· Free Press Journal
For Prachee Shah Paandya, Aadarsh Baal Vidyalaya has reinforced the belief that a character’s impact isn’t necessarily defined by screen time. In the series, she plays Sushma, a quiet and loving wife, with a strong presence in Gyaneshwar’s life, played by Kay Kay Menon. What drew her to the project was its warmth and simplicity, and the way it addresses the education system with humour and heart without becoming preachy. “My biggest takeaway was that the impact of a character isn’t defined by screen time, but by how honestly you play it. Sometimes the quietest characters can leave the most lasting impression,” she says. She has also been overwhelmed by the response to the show.
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Playing Sushma required her to unlearn the instinct to “do more”. “Sushma is a very understated character, so the challenge was to keep her extremely real and not try to underline every emotion. Sometimes just listening and reacting was enough,” she says. A rooftop scene with Menon stayed with her because it captured a relatable and loving husband-wife relationship. “Those quieter moments reminded me that simplicity can sometimes be the most powerful form of performance,” she adds.
Acting, however, is only one part of Paandya’s artistic journey. A trained Kathak dancer and sitar player, she has grown up with all three art forms. Kathak came first, having begun when she was very young, and became an intrinsic part of her identity rather than something she consciously chose as a profession. Acting came later and offered another way of expressing herself, while the Sitar, which she also started learning at a young age, became a more personal and meditative pursuit. “I don’t really look at the three as separate art forms that I have to constantly balance. They actually feed into each other,” she says. “Kathak gives me discipline, rhythm and grace; acting gives me emotional freedom; and the sitar gives me stillness and a deeper understanding of music.” She believes this interplay is what keeps her from burning out.
Her transition into acting was similarly organic. Having faced the camera at a young age, there was no single dramatic moment when she decided she wanted to become an actor. Her Kathak training had already taught her to express emotion, tell stories and connect with an audience, while acting became another language through which she could perform. Television played a crucial role in shaping her. Long-running characters taught her discipline, spontaneity and the ability to find something new in a role every day. Films and OTT brought different challenges. “Rather than one role being the turning point, I think it was the journey itself that made me realise, ‘Yes, this is where I belong.’"
Her Kathak training continues to influence her acting, often subconsciously. “The classical form teaches expression, rhythm and body language, but also how to communicate emotion without words.” She recalls scenes in Mulk (2018) and Raja Natwarlal (2014), where she had to receive news of a loved one’s death with minimal or no dialogue. “My training as a dancer made it relatively easier for me to express the right expression or stillness,” she says. “Kathak taught me that sometimes the smallest gesture or a moment of silence can say much more than dialogue.”
Her sitar journey began with her father, who felt that learning the instrument would complement her Kathak training. It became another way of exploring the relationship between music and dance. Learning the sitar sharpened her understanding of sur, taal and rhythm, which she believes also subconsciously helps her as an actor. “Every scene has its own rhythm and tempo, just like music,” she says.
Despite juggling three demanding art forms, Paandya says she has never faced gender-specific challenges because of them. Her bigger challenge has been time. Each pursuit requires commitment, alongside work, travel and family. “As women, we often try to give our 100% everywhere, so I’ve had to learn that balance doesn’t necessarily mean giving equal time to everything every single day,” she says.
She, therefore, doesn’t measure her riyaaz by a fixed number of hours. Shooting and travel schedules keep changing, but Kathak remains a constant whenever possible, while she makes time for the sitar when she can. “For me, consistency over the years has mattered more than counting hours every day,” she says.
Singer Akriti Kakar Says, ‘I Can’t Bank On Streaming Money To Live'Does she ever feel people take one of her artistic identities less seriously because she works across three disciplines? Paandya doesn’t see a need to rank them. Some people know her first as an actor, while others identify her primarily as a Kathak dancer, depending on where they have encountered her work. “I’ve never felt the need to put them in an order. I take each art form seriously, and I think over time, your commitment and body of work speak for themselves,” she says.
Yet, if she had to choose the one that gives her the greatest gratification, there is no hesitation: Kathak. Acting gives her the thrill of becoming somebody else, while the sitar offers a deeply personal sense of peace. Kathak gives her the energy of a live audience and, more importantly, a spiritual connection. “It’s my connection with the divine,” she says.