How IIT taught itself to act

Engineering students from IIT-B are shedding their geeky image to become theatrewallahs, by teaching themselves the finer nuances of acting, script-writing and stage production

How IIT taught itself to act

Engineering students from IIT-B are shedding their geeky image to become theatrewallahs, by teaching themselves the finer nuances of acting, script-writing and stage production

The first floor room of Prithvi House was filled to capacity during a performance of Nalli Ke Kutte for Thespo 12, last year.

So much so, that festival organiser Quasar Thakore-Padamsee couldn't get inside to catch the performance. This week, he hopes to replicate some of the magic of that evening.

Siddharth Kataria (left) and Aniket Behra (right) in Nalli Ke Kutte

Nalli Ke Kutte was put together by engineering students from IIT-B. It is an original play about two soldiers one from India and Pakistan posted at a remote border outpost.
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The two strike up a conversation and develop a bond, not realising that their countries are at war.

Former IIT students Siddharth Kataria and Aniket Behra, who wrote the script, also act in the play produced by Fourth Wall, the dramatics club at IIT.
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Neither Siddharth nor Aniket, or any of the members of Fourth Wall are formally trained in the dramatic arts. On April 6 however, they will perform at one of the premier auditoriums in the city.

Geek to greek tragedy

The IIT campus has a long-standing tradition of producing good theatre, but it's only recently that students have started making an effort to take their work outside the campus and inside a professional arena.

Six years ago, Professor Raja Mohanty and theatreperson Ramu Ramanathan collaborated to start an annual theatre festival on campus called, quite simply, Theatre Fest.
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The festival includes three days of professional plays and two days dedicated to productions by students.

Three years ago, Aniket along with campus buddies Snehil Gautam and Yash Kumar formed the dramatics club, Fourth Wall, as an attempt to promote theatre.

Finding their own answers

Despite their passion, however, students find it difficult to find qualified theatre persons willing to share their expertise and help students understand the craft. Their solution?

"We follow a hierarchy. Seniors who have seen professional plays or been to theatre workshops come back and teach the juniors.
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We also buy books on theatre games and have sessions with theatre persons who come here for the festival," says Arpit Agarwal, dramatics secretary, Fourth Wall.

The club also meets regularly to read scripts and discuss theatre games or workshops.

While the plays the students devise are heavily inspired by the performances they see Quasar points out the similarity between Nalli Ke Kutte and Motley's version of Manto's Tetwal Ka Kutta the quality of the productions is commendable.

"I loved the story the words, the poetry. It is a very powerful play, especially at a time when India and Pakistan are at loggerheads.
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At the end, it's a human story in which no one is right or wrong," says Quasar. The students are still trying to find a footing in the theatre scene while juggling academics.

While in the past there have been students who have given up engineering to concentrate on theatre full-time, Arpit says that most will give up theatre to build a 'career' when they leave the campus.

"I'd love to continue acting and writing plays, but I don't know if it will be possible," says Aniket, as he concludes a hushed telephonic interview from his work station inside a well-known financial institution.

Nalli Ke Kutte is part of Split Second
An Evening Of Short Plays.
ON April 6
AT Prithvi Theatre, Janki Kutir, Juhu Church Road, Vile Parle (W). Call 26149546