Bhaag Johnny is a Bollywood thriller directed by Shivam Nair. The film stars Kunal Khemu, Zoa Morani. Zoa Morani has completed her Diploma programme in Acting at Actor Prepares and since then has worked in a film called Always Kabhi Kabhi and did many modelling assignments for Lakme Fashion Week.

We catch up with her to talk about her experiences, her time at Actor Prepares and much more.

Q) How has your experience been working on the film Bhaag Johnny?
It was such a big learning experience because it was so different from my debut film, it almost felt like it was first time once again. Working on this film has taught me a lot about acting as it made me do different genres such as drama, action and romance. This in turn made me very confident because I got to experience so many different things all in one film! I am thankful to be a part of such a great team with whom I learnt every day.

Q) How was your experience working with your co-star Kunal Khemu?
For me Kunal was a walking talking acting school. He has so much experience in this field as he has been acting since his childhood and I used to get amazed at how his mind works. It was an absolute delight to watch him act. He has also been very helpfuI and very supportive. I remember whenever I would get stuck in any scene I would always ask for his help and he would very willingly enact it out for me. This helped me to do my scenes better and brush up my acting skills. In fact he would call me ‘Enthu Cutlet’ because I would ask so many questions all the time. (I can delete this if you want).

Q. How was your experience working with the director Shivam Nair?
Shivam sir is such a calm person and that would really help me because I was such a nervous wreck. He would tell me to just be in the moment and to feel it from the heart and that there is no fixed way to perform. That really worked for me. He would very simply just sit me down and just talk about the character. It was done to let me take charge of my character and make it my own. Working with him was an amazing experience.

Q. Tell us about your character in Bhaag Johnny?
My character’s name is Tanya. She is an independent girl based in Thailand leading a good life. All of a sudden she happens to be in a situation where she does not have a choice but to trust a stranger who tells her that he either has to kill her or that someone else might. She does not have a choice but to escape and figure some things about her past. It is an edgy experience for her throughout the film.

Q. How did you prepare for your role?
Shivam sir did not want me to attend any workshops or classes because he wanted things to be very spontaneous. The one thing that we did do were readings together. There he would just talk about Tanya and what she was like but after that he told me to build her up myself. So this turned out to be quite helpful for me. There was no interference from him once he briefed me about the character. He gave me a lot of space.

Q. Has being a trained actor helped you?
Being a trained actor made me what I am today. I remember, when I first came to Actor Prepares I was so shy and very nervous. I would always be in my shell. Being at Actor Prepares made me gain so much confidence and it opened me up completely. I am so thankful for this. I loved the exercises we did about emotions and our classes with Kher sir. They have really helped me as an actor. I will always treasure my training at Actor Prepares.

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