When Disney announced that they’d be bringing their beloved classic Beauty and the Beast to the Indian stage, the question most people had was, “Who will play Belle?” The question was answered in the form of the very talented Meher Mistry.
Having performed to houseful audiences for 10 consecutive shows in Mumbai, Meher says that her auditions for the role were not easy. Meher says, “I went for the auditions on the last day and it took about two hours for my turn. I had never auditioned for such a big open casting call. I blanked off during my monologue and was extremely nervous… Vikranth (Pawar, the director) then gave me a chance to start again, but he wanted me to say the monologue and pretend that I was cutting vegetables!”
Performing the piece and showing off her soulful singing led to Meher receiving a call after three weeks, announcing she’d been selected.
Previously, Meher garnered a fair bit of attention for her ad for Amazon during the IPL, and she isn’t a newbie on the acting scene. “I have been acting professionally for four years now. After graduating, there was this time when I did not know what to do, my uncle ran a regional theatre company and I decided to intern with him for a few months. That’s where I found my and belonging and decided to pursue theatre as a career,” she says.
Essaying the role of Belle was the fulfilment of a childhood wish: “This was one of my favourite Disney stories and I saw it repeatedly as a kid, so much so that when I got selected, my sister made a joke about me knowing the lines already because I have watched it so many times,” she says.
Four years into the profession and Meher was as excited and nervous about her performance as though it was the first time she was acting. “I have never faced an audience this large! There were 2,500 people in the stadium and the feeling was exhilarating, I had chills! But later, I tried not to think of the audience and everything went smoothly. It was a wonderful experience to bring joy to so many people,” she says.
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