Actors keep evolving throughout their career: Ishaan Singh Manhas

Acting is not less than on-the-job learning, where you learn something every day. And actor Ishaan Singh Manhas, who has been a part of shows like Ekta Mutthi Aasmaan, Mere Angne Mein, Sanjog, and Titli, to name a few, totally agrees with it. The actor has been a part of the industry for over a decade now and says that over time, his acting style has evolved.   

“When I was a fresher, my acting style was very basic. In the beginning of my career, the process of going through multiple auditions helped a lot. And then I kept on evolving as an actor with every project. Actors keep evolving throughout their careers. The learning never ends,” he said.   

Ishaan started his career as a model, and being in front of the camera really excited him, but he wanted to do more than just posing for pictures and doing ramp walks. He added, “Then one day I made the decision to move to Mumbai and make my career in acting. I have enjoyed working on all of my projects.”   He also spoke about the lesser-known facts about the industry and shared that people from other professions don’t understand that it's not easy being on the set for 12 hours. 

He added, “They think that it's a fun and glamour industry, but they don't know that there is a lot of hard work involved, both mentally and physically. And one has to take care of their fitness and appearance too. And it’s not easy to plan holidays or have a social life while working on TV shows. There are no fixed break days or weekends off.”   

He further said, “I would say it’s one of the most difficult professions. We don't get work based on college degrees, exam scores, or which companies we have worked for. Here, people get work based on their talent, looks, or popularity. There is so much competition here. And actors are like freelancers. We work project to project, and many times we have long gaps between projects. A lot of patience, commitment, and dedication are needed in this profession.”   

Ishaan said if he could go back in time, he would have done it at the start of his career, like, “One of them is that I never did theatre and I feel I should have started doing that when I was in college. Another thing that I could have done was to assist any experienced director and learn how things work while behind the camera.”   

Asked how he stays creatively inspired when work is less? He said, “During the break between projects, I keep myself updated with the latest content being made. Also, I travel to new places. Travelling gives me new experiences and refreshes my mind before I start my next projects.”