Meet The Coaches
Hetal Varia
Class Description
Participants will have the opportunity to experience and train with various techniques and exercises that promote effective vocal expression, enabling them to unlock their full potential as engaging and authentic communicators.
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About
Hetal Varia is a Mumbai based Voice and Dialect Coach. She is an alumna of MA in Voice Studies from Royal Central SChool of Speech and Drama, London and has been working in the theatre industry for more than 15 years. She is a resident voice faculty with Drama School Mumbai and a Co-founder and Curriculum Head of Ekalava.
Hetal has been a voice and dialect coach to many industry professionals including Vicky Kaushal, Manoj Bajpayee, Huma Qureshi, Pratik Gandhi, Sendhil Ramamurthy, Charlie Hunnam and Alexander Siddiq to name a few. Her recent films include Tarla, The Wheel of Time, Sam Bahadur, Shantaram, A Suitable Boy, Pradeeps of Pittsburgh, Ladies Hostel and more
Voice Practitioner
Shikhar Mishra
Class Description
Trains actors to use their imagination and not their personal life to connect to deeper emotions
Trains their sense memory to truly inhabit the body and the world of the character
Teaches how to build the past of the character so the history lives in the body and not in the notebook
Shikhar Mishra, a drama coach with 18 years of experience, trained under NSD and Bhartendu Natya Academi mentors. As the founder of THEATREWALA, he integrates Natyashastra into modern theatre, shaping India’s performing arts. With 75+ plays and 100+ shows, his work includes Adhe Adhure, Ghor Kalyug, and films like Mai Atal Hoon. A dedicated mentor, he has guided 1000+ students on their journey in the performing arts.
About
Acting Technique Practitioner
Dipika Pandey has been based in Mumbai for about eight years, where she has honed her skills as a Kalaripayattu martial artist, Salsa dancer, and actor. Her training primarily focuses on physical theatre and body movement work, with Kalaripayattu training in both Mumbai and Shantiniketan (West Bengal). With over five years of experience in teaching and performing, her performances include fire shows, stick movement, and choreography integrated with Kalaripayattu. Currently, Dipika is a visiting faculty member at Whistling Woods International, a renowned acting institute in Mumbai.
Movement Practitioner
Kalaripayattu and movement practice train actors to harness their physicality and imagination, rather than relying on personal experiences, to access deeper emotions. By sharpening body awareness and reflexes, performers learn to fully embody their characters with precision and authenticity. These practices go beyond technique, teaching actors to internalize movement patterns so that a character’s physical history is lived through the body, not just studied in theory. Rooted in agility, strength, and mindfulness, Kalaripayattu cultivates an actor’s ability to move with intention, control, and expressive power, making every gesture and action deeply connected to the character’s world.
Dipika Pandey