From Being a Dancing Anchor to Sharing the Stage with Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Shruti Deshpande on Her Journey as a Performer, Says, “Each Experience Taught Me Something”

Shruti Deshpande‘s journey in the entertainment industry has been shaped by her experiences across dance, anchoring, theatre and acting. Known for bringing dance and anchoring together through her identity as ‘The Dancing Anchor’, she has explored different forms of performance over the years. Her journey also includes performing in the play Naqaab alongside Nawazuddin Siddiqui and Shora Siddiqui, adding another experience to her journey as a performer.

Talking about how the concept of a Dancing Anchor came about and became a part of her identity, Shruti says,

“It is about anchoring and making thousands of people dance together at once. It is one of the unique forms of anchoring today. I wanted to merge dance and anchoring, and over time, it became my identity. Before becoming a full-time actor, I worked as a consultant, so I explored many different fields. Each experience taught me something and helped me grow as a performer.”

Through her brand, CurlyGrooves, she brings dance and anchoring together at live events. She has also spent nearly nine years teaching dance through Mixtape.

Apart from dance and anchoring, theatre has played an important role in shaping her as an actor. Trained under FTII faculty, she has been performing in theatre for five years and has performed at venues such as Prithvi Theatre, Nita Mukesh Ambani Cultural Centre, Rangshila and Ranga Shankara. She has also worked with Vikram Kapadia on The Greatest Show on Earth. She believes that her theatre training, along with her experience in dance and anchoring, has made her more confident and comfortable on stage.

These experiences also helped her while performing in Naqaab, which travelled across nine cities in the United States. She portrayed Inspector Agni Srivastav in the play alongside Nawazuddin Siddiqui and Shora Siddiqui. Talking about how her earlier experiences helped her during the tour, she says,

“My background in dance performances and anchoring did come into play. It helped me with stage presence, attention to detail and confidence on stage. These qualities benefited me while performing and touring the United States with a talented actor such as Nawazuddin Siddiqui. Playing Agni was very different from my personality, so it was a great learning experience.”

For Shruti, dance, anchoring, theatre and acting are interconnected, with each experience contributing to her growth as a performer. While anchoring has taught her to connect with audiences and maintain confidence on stage, theatre has helped her explore characters and emotions more deeply. Together, these experiences have shaped her understanding of acting and helped her build her own identity in the entertainment industry.