Deepa Gahlot: Welcome back to the stage

A new play, Chakkar Chalaaye Ghanchakkar, based on Shakespeare's Comedy of Errors, adapted by Gulzar and directed by Salim Arif, had Zeeshan Ayyub and Swanand Kirkire in the lead roles of two sets of twins, who cause confusion because they also happen to have the same names.

It's interesting to note that both actors are from the National School of Drama, and made a fairly successful career for themselves in films; generally, it is seen that once an actor gets into the movies, he/she seldom looks back on their stage days. Some of them, like Naseeruddin Shah, Shabana Azmi, Paresh Rawal, Sonali Kulkarni, Anupam Kher, Neena Gupta (to name a few), do keep their connections with theatre, but it used to be said of NSD graduates that once they finish with their course, they head for Mumbai to try their hand at showbiz. Which is understandable - it is difficult, if not impossible, to make a living from theatre. Most theatre practitioners have to supplement their income in other ways - writing, voice-overs, ads, TV and, now increasingly, films and web series. In Mumbai, it is getting harder to get trained actors to do theatre.

Zeeshan Ayyub and Swanand Kirkire in Chakkar Chalaaye Ghanchakkar

But a true theatre artiste does miss the lure of the stage - the discipline, the camaraderie and the live applause. Once they acquire fame, their return to the stage only to enrich themselves and the audience.

In recent months, Zeeshan Ayyub did a tough role in Peer Ghani, appeared in Is Kambhakht Sathe Ka Kya Karen (directed by his wife and co-actor, Rasika Agashe) and now a double role in Chakkar Chalaaye Ghanchakkar. That he and successful writer-lyricist Kirkire came back to theatre is commendable, because the time and effort that goes into the making of a stage play is seldom commensurate with the returns.

Last week, Satish Kaushik came back to the stage - a few years after the masterful Salesman Ramlal (an adaptation of the Arthur Miller classic, Death of A Salesman) - in Saif Hyder Hasan's Mr & Mrs Murarilal. The earlier play, directed by Feroz Abbas Khan, had him cast against type in a tragic role, which he played to perfection; in the new play, he is cast opposite Meghna Malik, also an NSD alumna, and gets to play a flamboyant character closer to his image as a comedian. Malik, of course, captured TV audiences as the formidable ‘Ammaji' in Na Aana Is Des Laado; both actors proved that the ability to keep the audience engaged in a play that has quite a few longueurs is easier with solid theatre training. Kaushik, in particular, accomplished a superb breakdown scene that took the audience by surprise.

Saurabh Shukla brought his NSD repertory expertise to two recent plays, Two To Tango Three To Jive and Barff - the first was a comic-romantic audience pleaser, but the second has him play the serious role of a doctor trapped in a difficult situation in a remote Kashmiri hamlet, where, if he has to get out alive, he has to keep his wits about him. Shukla's work in films has won him appreciation and award nominations, but the roles he is able to do in theatre are difficult to come by in films and, after a point, an actor would hanker for challenges that the stage provides.

Earlier this year, another NSD-ian, Pankaj Kapur, returned to the stage with a charming one-man show, Dopehri. Those who have seen Kapur perform on stage in his heyday, say that he is a rare gem of an actor, and his films have simply not done full justice to his talent. His incredible hold on the audience is there to see, as he reads a story, written by himself, of a lonely old woman, Amma Bi, living in a large haveli, who finds meaning to life in an unexpected way. He reads with minimal movement and with a serenity that can only come with the innate skill of an actor who does not feel the need to impress his audience. After a few minutes, he senses that he has them enthralled just by the power of his voice and gently flitting expressions on his face, there is no need for histrionics. Kapur keeps busy with his film work, but is now thinking of increasing his theatre work gradually, encouraged by the wonderful response to Dopehri.

In the West, the UK in particular, stars like Benedict Cumberbatch, Kevin Spacey, Chiwitel Ejiofor, Johnny Lee Miller, James Franco, Daniel Radcliffe, not to mention thespians like Maggie Smith, Judi Dench and Helen Mirren, easily make the transition between theatre, cinema and television and leave a mark everywhere. It's possible for actors to enhance their talent here too, if and when the opportunity presents itself.

Deepa Gahlot is an award-winning film and theatre critic and an arts administrator. She tweets at @deepagahlot