{"id":29878,"date":"2023-05-09T07:00:34","date_gmt":"2023-05-09T01:30:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.globalindian.com\/youth\/\/?post_type=story&p=29878"},"modified":"2023-05-09T10:53:19","modified_gmt":"2023-05-09T05:23:19","slug":"bollywood-to-broadway-actress-mahnaz-damanias-journey-to-life-of-pi","status":"publish","type":"story","link":"https:\/\/old.globalindian.com\/youth\/story\/cover-story\/bollywood-to-broadway-actress-mahnaz-damanias-journey-to-life-of-pi\/","title":{"rendered":"Bollywood to Broadway: Actress Mahnaz Damania’s journey to ‘Life of Pi’"},"content":{"rendered":"

(May 9, 2023)<\/strong> The world of Broadway is experiencing an ingenious work of art at the Gerald Schoenfeld Theater in New York. The Broadway house is currently home to a mesmerizing adaptation of Yann Martel’s Booker Prize-winning novel, Life of Pi<\/em><\/a>. Directed by Max Webster and adapted by playwright Lolita Chakrabarti, the stage comes alive with various lighting, video, sound, and set elements that shift and transform throughout the performance, creating a magical world that captivates the audience. And in the middle of the ocean, with a diverse cast of 24 actors and puppeteers, is an Indian actress, Mahnaz Damania who has impressed audiences from the production’s first show.<\/p>\n

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The Indian stage actress has come a long way since her beginnings in the world of theater. “Sometimes I wonder to myself when we\u2019re at the theatre, \u2018Man! How did I get here?!\u2019 And when I look back at a decade of my work I realise I\u2019ve been so fortunate in India too to train under Faezeh Jalali working on her productions \u2014 07\/07\/07<\/em> and Shikhandi \u2013 The Story of the In-Betweens<\/em> \u2014 and with Rajit Kapur (Rage Productions). I feel ready as an actress because of these chances that I\u2019m very grateful for,” the Global Indian<\/em><\/a> said in an interview. With an unwavering passion for her craft, the actress continues to break boundaries and captivate audiences, solidifying her place as a rising star in the theater world.<\/p>\n

The world’s a stage<\/strong><\/h5>\n

Currently based out of New York City, Mahnaz was born in Ahmedabad into a Parsi family. Always wanting to be an actress since a young age, she was an active part of her school and college drama societies. The actress completed her Master’s in Psychology from St. Xavier\u2019s College, Ahmedabad, and soon landed a job as a flight attendant with Jet Airways. However, her dream of being on stage and performing a part never left her bedside.<\/p>\n

\"Actress

Eventually, the actress left her job and left for New York, to do an acting course at Stella Adler Studio of Acting. And it was here that a chance meeting with Indian actor, Irrfan Khan affirmed her belief in her dreams. “I bumped into Irrfan Khan outside my acting school in NY years ago in 2010 or 2011, and I was thrilled! I exclaimed, \u201cOh My God It\u2019s You!\u201d And he goes, \u201cYes it is!\u201d I told him that this is the building I study in and he\u2019s like \u2018Oh, this is where the Stella Adler acting studio is.\u2019 And then (I don\u2019t know why) but I asked \u201ccan I hug you?\u201d And he said, \u201cof course!\u201d We continued to talk about the pros and cons of studying outside of India for the craft and then we said bye. I\u2019ve always loved his work and wanted to work with him. Being a part of this play is the closest I\u2019ve come so far in my career to being associated with his splendor. This is a very cherished experience for me,” the actress shared. After returning to India, the actress took part as a contestant in the TV reality show Kingfisher Supermodel 2<\/em>, and was later seen playing a lead part in Dharma Production’s Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhania<\/em>.<\/p>\n

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