With memorable plays like Khelaiya, Dear Father and Krishan Vs Kanhaiya to his credit, it's no wonder that Paresh Rawal is one of the most loved theatre actors in the country. As he closes this year's Prithvi Theatre Festival in association with Bombay Times, with a Stage Talk session, the actor speaks to us about his life on stage.

How did your association with Prithvi begin?
As a child, I was mischievous and an attention-seeker, so acting came naturally to me. When I joined Narsee Monjee College, I started doing plays, along with a bunch of other students. And eventually we got to perform at Prithvi. I did a hugely successful Gujarati play, Khelaiya. From Feroz Abbas Khan and Shafi Inamdar, to Naseer bhai and Omji, there were many of us who used to perform there. It was a brilliant atmosphere. Performing at Prithvi was a novel experience, because unlike other theatres, it was very different - it didn't have any curtains and the audience was at close proximity to the actors. Also, it was the only place that allowed us to experiment and do the kind of plays we really wanted to, within a reasonable budget. The ticket was only Rs 10 per person. And this is one of the main reasons why I bow down in front of Prithvi. Today, despite the sky-high real estate rates, they have managed to keep this theatre movement going. Whether it was Jennifer, Shashiji, Sanjana or Kunal Kapoor, they have all worked so passionately to maintain it. They never thought of making a multistoried building here. They could have easily earned crores. I know this is a melodramatic statement, but whenever I would visit Prithvi, I felt like I was resting my head in my mother's lap. It was that peaceful and even today, I feel the same. It has a very positive and creative atmosphere.We need more Prithvis in the city. For artistes like me, Prithvi is a temple!

What do you miss about the good old days?
Back then, we could do a play with a cast of 15 to 20 people. Unfortunately, today, nobody has that kind of time. The cast keeps getting replaced and that is very frustrating. Also, actors don't want to put much effort in theatre, because they know there is no money in this medium. Earlier, people were willing and enthusiastic to work. We used to do plays from day to night. I have never seen that kind of atmosphere in Mumbai again.

You've done more work in films. Do you regret not giving enough time to theatre?
I have been doing professional theatre for the past 43 years. I have never felt like I left theatre because even today I do shows. I will never stop performing on stage. Unlike films, theatre allows you to experiment as an actor, which is fulfilling. Also, when I do plays, I assimilate all my life experiences and bring it to my performance. That is the magic and beauty of acting live. Films can provide money but even that can't compensate for the joy and satisfaction one gets from doing theatre.

Which are your favourite stage performances?
I love all of Naseer bhai's plays. He does theatre with such honesty, that he never thinks about the box office collections. He wants to just convey a script to the audience and there is a lot of piousness in his performances. I never had that sort of vision. Atul Kumar's plays are also very detailed. In regional theatre, Arun Mukherjee's Jagannath and Dr Shriram Lagoo's Mitra are memorable.Then there was one play, Shivaji Underground, where the actors were farmers from Jalna district.They had never stepped on stage before, but the show was mind-blowing.

Are you working on a new play?
I do have an idea in mind. For my next play, I want to take up a hard-hitting subject, just like Krishan Vs Kanhaiya. But it will make people uncomfortable, as it is a very sensitive topic. I believe the motive of theatre is to disturb the audience's state of mind. A play should be thought-provoking.

Om Puri, one of India's finest actors, is going to talk about his journey in life at this year's Prithvi Theatre Festival in association with Bombay Times. The veteran, who acted in Prithvi's first ever play 38 years ago, professes his love for the medium.

You started your acting career with theatre. What drew you to the stage?
When I was in college in Patiala, I used to participate in plays. Once, I won a prize at the Youth Festival and one of the judges, who was from the National School of Drama (NSD), approached me and asked me to join his theatre group. Since it was a semi-professional group, actors weren't getting paid. So, I turned him down because I was busy working as a lab assistant in my free time and was getting a salary of  Rs 125 per month. But when he offered me Rs 150 a month to act in his theatre group, I was elated and took up the offer.

One of the main reasons I got into theatre was because I was an introvert. I was very sensitive, especially to all the disparity happening around me; it used to disturb me. So, I did many socially-relevant plays in Punjabi, as doing these gave voice to my feelings. Soon, I got addicted to theatre. That's when I decided to join NSD. I was even discouraged by Harpal Tiwana (playwright) to make theatre a profession. He told me there is no future in theatre, especially for someone like me, since I wasn't economically well off. But I still went ahead.

Yours was the first play staged at Prithvi in '78.Can you share some of those memories?
Udhvastha Dharmashala was the play that we inaugurated Prithvi Theatre with. For the show, we didn't charge any money for the tickets. But after the show got over, we had a man standing outside the theatre with a jhola, so that people could put whatever amount of money they wanted in it. When I came to know that Prithvi was being set up, I approached Jennifer Kapoor and told her I wanted to perform there. She was very accommodating. The festival was Jennifer's idea and she executed it very well. She was a wonderful lady and was very fond of me. She was also very idealistic in her approach. I remember, at one of the festivals she was organising, she wanted me to do a play called Bichhoo. I told her I couldn't do it because my director was in Delhi and that we didn't have any costumes. She told me to get into her car, and drove me to their storage unit in Juhu. At that time, Shashiji had produced a film called Junoon and there were many historical costumes from the film that were lying around. She told me to take whatever I needed for our performance! Though she really bullied me into doing the play, eventually, it was a big success. Today, I am very happy with the way Prithvi has shaped up. It is a great tribute to Prithviraj Kapoor by his family.

Do you miss acting on stage?
I have missed working in theatre. But what I would have done on stage, I did in movies. As a medium, my preference is cinema. But I miss theatre for personal reasons. Acting on stage is a very difference experience. You get to perform live and feel the audiences' pulse.You get to instantly see their responses ­ whether it's their sighs or laughter. Theatre is like Sanskrit. In India, Sanskrit is the mother of all languages and similarly, theatre is the mother of all forms of entertainment, whether it is radio, TV or movies. I will get back to theatre. I need some time, but I will definitely do more plays.

In today's commercial times, it's impossible to find a place as honest and pure as the Prithvi Theatre. While ticket prices are kept very basic and the capacity is limited for any artiste to make any significant money for their performance, every artiste wants to come and perform here. This is the only place where they all come together once a year during the annual Prithvi Theatre Festival that was started by Jennifer Kapoor in 1978. 

As Naseeruddin Shah sahab said, “I feel Jennifer's dreams have been fulfilled, all credit to Sanjana earlier  and now Kunal and to Shashi sahab who had the generosity to have put in his money. It was a colossal expense at that time and my hats off to him.“ The festival this year premiered with the outstanding performance by Naseeruddin Shah playing Einstein. The opening night saw not just three generations of the Kapoor khandaan, but also several artistes who were accompanied by either their mothers, daughters or sons to simply join in the celebrations of this great institution that is symbolic of the passion and love for theatre. The souls of Prithviraj Kapoor and his daughter-in-law Jennifer Kapoor must certainly be very happy up there. 

Excerpts from a conversation with Rishi Kapoor who has just recovered from dengue. This was his very first outing and his first drink post getting well: 

What are your oldest memories of coming to the Prithvi Theatre?
The Prithvi Theatre, as we know it today, used to be a godown where my grandfather Prithviraj Kapoor would keep all his theatre props. Right opposite to the theatre was the 'Prithvi Jhopda' (the Prithvi hut) as it was called as he lived here. I must have been 12ish then.

Were you a part of any play?
I started my career very early at 20. I got into films and then, never got time. Theatre was my family's bread and butter, but I never missed it as I had never done it. And while I have great respect for theatre artistes, I have no knowledge of it. My family has become whatever they are today because of theatre. Even though my whole family was a part of theatre, unfortunately, when I was at an impressionable age, everything shut down as dadaji had to shut down Prithvi for reasons beyond him. But I did do one play at the Opera House in which my job was to only sleep on the bed. I was so naughty that I would keep my one eye open to watch the audience.

Did your grandfather see you becoming a star?
He died in 1971. We started Bobby in 1972. My grandfather performed the mahurat shot in every RK film. That is why in every RK film, you will see him performing the puja to a Shivling that later became the logo. In Bobby, I remember since he was not alive, my father had made a monument of his giving the mahurat shot and his voice played over that.

Talk about Jennifer and Shashi Kapoor?
Prithvi Theatre was Jennifer aunty's baby and she got it made. They both toiled to make this place happen. Shashi uncle is a great uncle, a great actor and a big star. He used to be working round the clock and whatever money he earned, he put it behind Prithvi.





The prestigious Prithvi Festival Theatre association with Bombay in Times begins today. This year, Naseeruddin Shah will inaugurate the festival with his new solo performance in and as the brilliant German-born scientist Einstein. The above drawing of Naseeruddin Shah as Albert Einstein was sent to the actor by Aakash Biswas many years ago. Naseer, seeing this stark resemblance between himself and Einstein, decided to play the scientist on stage. Einstein is playing today (invitee show only) and tomorrow at Prithvi theatre (6 pm and 9 pm).

Naseeruddin Shah has been associated with the Prithvi Theatre not just from its first festival in 1978, but even before that when it was being constructed. The festival this year, being held again in association with the Bombay Times, starts with the premiere of his play Einstein on November 5 (entry by invitation only) with him playing the brilliant Einstein himself. In between practising for his new production at Prithvi, he talks to Bombay Times over a cup of kahwa about the wonderful Jennifer Kendal, the generous Shashi Kapoor and the vulnerability of Einstein. Excerpts:

Naseer sahab, why Einstein?
Why not Einstein? Mostly because I look like him. Somebody once mailed me a drawing he had made of me looking just like Einstein, which is when it struck me how much I looked like him. I do have Jewish features actually and get mistaken for a Jew when I have a beard. But jokes aside, I have always decided to do a play I came across if I liked it after the first reading. I have had this script lying in my drawer for over 10 years and in fact, don't even remember who gave it to me, except that it was someone in Delhi, but I had decided that I would do it one day. This time, for the Prithvi Theatre festival, I was a little bit stuck with ideas and was planning to do an Ismat Apa Ke Naam Part 3, but it wasn't quite falling in place, so I decided to abandon it. Kunal (Kapoor) was insistent that I do something for the festival and it is a matter of pride to be part of the festival anyways. I had two months to practise a new play and I decided to do Einstein.

What is the play about?
It is not a technical piece at all. Anyways, I never understood Physics and I used to get zero in my Physics paper. But Einstein, in the play, briefly talks about his theory and about relativity and gravity and so on, but it is mainly about the person and the guilt he was left with after World War II, when the bomb was deployed against Japan and he felt responsible for having helped create the damn thing, as it was his research that was used and he was left with a massive amount of guilt for having contributed in any way to such a deadly weapon. He never realised that his research would lead to splitting of the atom. It's damn complicated and I can't claim to have understood it. I had a physicist friend who explained to me, but I am far from understanding it. In any case, I have always believed that you don't have to understand a character to play him, you need to empathise with him. And I could empathise with Einstein talking about the persecution of the Jews, the way they were discriminated against, the horror and the betrayal by Germany and why he left Germany, how despite the fact that he had no Jewish beliefs until they were thrust upon him and he was made aware that he was a Jew. While it is not a biography,I have no doubt that the writer has a deep understanding of Einstein's work. It is a brief telling about his life, a few sentences about his childhood, his youth, his leaving Germany and his coming to America. The writer has done a very fine job in explaining complex notions and as Einstein himself said, 'If you can't explain it simply, you can't understand it well enough.'

Did you feel even more intelligent playing Einstein?
I never feel intelligent and don't take myself seriously as an intellectual. It surprises me every time I am referred to as one. Compared to someone like Girish Karnad or Shyam Benegal, I am a pygmy. I have instinctive belief and opinions that are very strong, but I am certainly no Einstein.

What fascinated you to play him?
Apparently, he was quite a guy and got around. He was a flirt for sure. He got married twice, left his first wife with two children, one of whom was retarded. He then married a second time and his wife died while he was in the middle of the research, and he did not even register her death. So, the assumption I draw from it is that he was beyond these material considerations, but it also shows him up as a vulnerable human being. If we look at Faiz Ahmad Faiz sahab, for instance, he was also deeply involved with the world and its inequalities and wrote great poetry on it, but he was also an extremely loving and family man. Einstein was vulnerable and had a glad eye for the ladies. There is a great twinkle in his eyes and he was a livewire. I am sure he cried and laughed and grieved and I got a feeling that while he was extremely logical, he was also an emotional man.

You had performed for the first Prithvi Theatre Festival in 1978. Talk about your association with Prithvi?
My association with Prithvi is from even before it was built. Shortly after Junoon was shot, Prithvi was under construction and Jennifer would talk about it. When we returned from the Junoon shooting, the walls were up, there was no roof, but the stage was built. I asked her if I could go around and she very sweetly allowed me to use it for rehearsals. Prithvi was godsend and when it opened, I was part of the cast of Om Puri's production Uddhwasta Dharmashala, the great Marathi play which had been made famous by Dr Lagoo. And then, Jennifer's insistence was that we need to educate the audience to teach the audience punctuality and she started the rule of no latecomers. And she left it to the groups to enforce it, which was kind of tough, you know, as we were the only group to have enforced it. Nobody else did and while we enforced it, we were subjected to all kinds of tirades by furious latecomers, who would storm backstage and shout at us and thump at the doors and so on. It became extremely difficult and Prithvi and I had a falling out and I didn't perform here for 4-5 years. I just stuck to my guns and felt that if they had made this rule, they needed to help us enforce it and not leave it to us. Later when we did Dear Liar, that was a tribute to the Kendals, Shashi Kapoor sahab called me and asked me to come back. He said, 'Come on. Forget what happened.' And I said, 'Okay.' I was dying to come back anyways, so he just had to say it once. And since, we have stayed with them and it has been very good to us and to a whole lot of theatre people and kids. I feel Jennifer's dreams have been fulfilled, all credit to Sanjana earlier and now, Kunal, and to Shashi sahab, who had the generosity to have put in his money. It was a colossal expense at that time and my hats off to him.

What was Jennifer like?
She was quite wonderful and was a warm and generous human being. She was always compassionate and her love for theatre was so evident. She came and saw every play we did or anyone else did, encouraged everybody and was very sweet and quite unbelievably wonderful. What I couldn't understand about her was why she didn't come back to theatre after marriage, but I suppose she had a huge establishment and kids to look after.I did ask her on a couple of occasions to work with us and she turned it down very sweetly, but she was very good at it and I know that had she pursued it, she would have found something.

Even at this stage of your life, you put in two months of practising for a play.
I love doing it, so I do it. I am staying in shape by doing this work, educating myself still, learning about the theory of relativity now.