Theatre artist Vikash Khurana explains his love for the stage

A scene from Fool's Paradise

For a theatre artiste to leave behind a city that is a haven for his art form isn't the easiest of decisions. However, Vikash Khurana had to make that choice in 2002 when he moved from Mumbai to his native city of Nagpur to take care of a family-run business. Having completed his graduation from Sydenham College, he had stayed on in Mumbai to train in theatre under stalwarts including the late Satyadev Dubey, Sunil Shanbag, and brother Akash Khurana before the exigencies of life took over. But as they say, once a theatrewallah, always a theatrewallah.

"When I left Bombay, I missed theatre a lot. So, Stagecraft was both, a passion-driven and need-based decision," says Khurana, 57, about the theatre company he founded in the Orange City in 2003. The award-winning actor-director-writer is in Mumbai for a week-long run of his plays, of which Treasure Island, based on Robert Louis Stevenson's adventure novel, premiered here last Sunday. Though Khurana started bringing his productions to Mumbai in 2013, this is the first time that three of his plays are being performed across venues with multiple shows.

Vikash Khurana in the role of Ruskin Bond

Does this mean theatre has come of age in Nagpur? "It is doing much better since the time we started. From one or two plays a year, we now stage five to six, with about 15 shows in all. But the cultural ethos of Nagpur is not as strong as that of Mumbai. So it has been a struggle," he laments. He adds that the audience in Mumbai is savvy and can gauge good theatre from bad. "But because of limited exposure, Nagpur's theatre-goers haven't had the chance to evolve as much," he rues.

To change the situation at a grass-roots level, Khurana has been training budding artistes and conducting London's Trinity College-designed speech and drama workshops in schools and colleges. "Over the years, we have groomed over 350 actors, and at any given time, 100 artistes remain associated with Stagecraft," he says, adding that while some have forged a career in Mumbai, many still have a day job as a theatre in Nagpur don't pay well. "The only reason we keep going is because of passion," he elaborates.

In the last 15 years, though, Khurana's prolific theatre company has become a brand in itself. In fact, it has even triggered a trend he is not too happy about. "Unfortunately, theatre in Nagpur has become a Page 3 phenomenon, and people want to be seen watching plays," he admits. But there is also something that he has nothing to complain about. "A lot of people now look at theatre as a means to develop life skills. When you are working with creative people from different walks of life, there is more to learn than just acting," Khurana signs off.

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