Sammohinee Ghosh (HINDUSTAN TIMES; March 12, 2020)

Primarily known for her roles in movies such as Lipstick Under My Burkha (2017) and The Accidental Prime Minister (2019), actor Aahana Kumra made her acting debut in 2009. And since then, she has worked in a number of web shows and even theatre plays. The actor was recently seen in the play Dekh Behen which was part of The Great Indian Theatre Festival, and says that she loves working in women-led projects. “There is always food on the set. There’s nothing like being part of an all-female cast. All of us love to eat and we have a bountiful spread. It is lovely to have so many women around. Each one of us has immense potential and apart from being friends or co-actors, we look up to one another,” says Kumra, reinstating faith in healthy women camaraderie.

Giving us a peek into her part in the play, she says, “My character, Trisha, is the binding element in the story. She is not judgmental, is unmarried, and is unabashed about her choices. She somehow holds the other characters together.”

The actor adds, while on the face of it the conversations are hilarious, they constantly nudge at socially potent issues. “I think Dilshad (Dilshad Edibam Khurana) and Tahira (Tahira Nath) — the writers of the play — have come up with an intelligent plot. The script is clever; you laugh along until it hits you that reality is no different,” she adds.

Ask her about the current theatre scene in the country and Kumra shares how the introduction of other platforms, leaves the stage with only a handful of players. According to the actor, OTT platforms and the big screen are undoubtedly important, but coming back to theatre hones ones flair in strange ways. “My speech is precise and since I am relentlessly showing up at rehearsals, I unconsciously discipline myself. There are no retakes and that is where spontaneous ideation or even, team spirit comes into play,” the actor shares.

On stage directors that she has always wanted to work with, Manav Kaul is pretty high up on the list. “I really wonder why he never casts me in any of his plays. The next play I plan to watch is Giving Up On Godot. I would also like to work with Mohit Takalkar,” she signs off.

Rajit Kapur talks about his new play, Mosambi Narangi, and how theatre continues to be his first love
Sanskrita Bharadwaj (HINDUSTAN TIMES; December 12, 2019)

For actor Rajit Kapur, who is known for his portrayal of Mahatma Gandhi in Making Of The Mahatma (1996), it is not films but theatre that he considers to be his base and his “first love”. “I love films as well but the interaction with a live audience is the reason why I have stuck to theatre for so long. That transmission of energy between the audience and myself, gives me a big high,” says Kapur.

Having acted in plays such as A Walk In The Woods, and A Few Good Men, Kapur says, things have changed drastically in theatre over time. “There’s a lot of new writing coming into the theatre world. There are more and more people coming in from the younger generation to see live performances. When we started acting, there were more people in the age group of 30s who came to see theatre. Now, even 20-year-olds are thronging,” he says.

When asked if young actors have more affinity towards gaining fame on social media rather than enhancing their craft, he says, “If a person is grounded and has worked on stage, she/he has an advantage over those who are just jumping into the water.”

Kapur, who is also known for his portrayal of the fictional detective Byomkesh Bakshi in the eponymous television series that was broadcast on Doordarshan in the ’90s, was last seen in the play Mosambi Narangi, directed by Mohit Takalkar. The play, which is about two junior artists, shooting on a film set is translated by Ashok Mishra from the award-winning play Stones In His Pockets, by Marie Jones. “These two junior artists are played by myself and Ajeet Singh Palawat. We also play the other characters that the two artists (Mosambi and Narangi) play on the film set. As actors, it is challenging for both of us to adapt to that structure. The beauty of this play is that we get to create so many characters,” he explains.

The play, Kapur adds, is also about the “hopes and disappointments, and dreams and aspirations of Mosambi and Narangi”. Talking about the process of preparing for the play, he says that he spent a lot of time with the script. “It is important to understand who these other characters are, so that they don’t appear as caricatures. As actors, we’ve spent almost three months on this play,” he signs off.