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Shruti recently shared the stage with Nawazuddin and his daughter Shora Siddiqui in the play. In an exclusive interaction with IANS, she recalled how a technical glitch during a performance in Chicago tested the cast’s ability to adapt in real time.

“There were around a thousand people in the audience when Nawaz sir’s microphone stopped working. The audience started shouting that they couldn’t hear him. It can be extremely distracting when you are performing live, and the audience is shouting because they cannot hear you,” she said.

Shruti said Nawazuddin responded by increasing his voice projection, while the other actors adjusted their volume to support him. When the issue could not be resolved immediately, he had to go backstage to get the microphone fixed.

“Since it was his first theatre experience and I had already been doing theatre for several years, I knew that I had to take responsibility at that moment. I improvised to some extent, and we managed the technical glitch and the short break before continuing the performance,” she recalled.

She said the experience reinforced the difference between acting for the screen and performing on stage, where there are no retakes and unexpected situations have to be handled immediately.

Shruti also spoke warmly about her bond with Shora, saying that the young actor had become like a younger sister to her by the end of their time together.

“She was brought up in Dubai, and initially, she was learning to grasp Hindi properly. Eventually, she delivered a proper monologue on stage. We had a very good give-and-take during the process, and I feel I have seen her grow,” she said.

Reflecting on Shora’s acting abilities and similarities with her father, Shruti described her as a “unique actor”.

“He brings something new and different to everything he does. Sometimes I see that same streak in Shora. She also has the ability to do something different,” she added.