Nitu Chandra wears many hats (theatre artiste, film producer, black belt in taekwondo) might she is best remembered for her starring roles in Garam Masala and Traffic Signal. She was in town recently for the musical Umrao Jaan Ada, which premiered for the first time in India in Ahmedabad.

Nitu who performed in the city for the first time says, “Ahmedabad prefers quality entertainment. The city has a rich culture, heritage, and music. The city also boasts of a vibrant Gujarati theatre culture. I hope to perform with Paresh (Rawal) ji on stage someday. I want to work with all the top actors in the Gujarati entertainment industry. I am grateful that there is no language barrier anymore. I look forward to being offered a role in a Gujarati play or a movie.”

The Umrao Jaan Ada actress spoke about how theatre pays artistes a lot more than before. She says, “Audiences have evolved. There was a time when producers did not want to invest in a Broadway kind of show in India, but now, they are doing this. Theatre actors are also respected quite a bit now. With actors like Pankaj Tripathi and Manoj Bajpayee getting meatier roles even in OTT and Bollywood because of their background in theatre, things have changed for the good of artistes like us who are primarily doing theatre. There are a lot of avenues open for us and we are valued. Our creative worth is appreciated and we get paid decent money too.”

Speaking about theatre being appreciated in Tier-2 and Tier-2 cities, she says, “Even in smaller cities, audiences want a break from the monotony of Bollywood’s song and dance routine and want new experiences. Every city in India has an evolved, cultured audience. People want to spend their money and time on good quality stuff. They want to see unique performances."

Neetu who’s done her fair share of films and is now performing on stage, has no favourites. She says, “What I appreciate about theatre is the instant gratification that I receive. After my play, I saw Kareena Kapoor Khan cry and Kajol came and hugged me. I have seen people laugh, and cry - my plays have made them feel all the emotions. After COVID, I crave appreciation and when a peer or an audience member hugs me, I feel valued.”