Purvaja Sawant (BOMBAY TIMES; April 9, 2016)
After the naughty adult comedy 2 To Tango 3 To Jive, Saurabh Shukla is back on the stage with Barff, as a writer, director and actor. As the thriller premieres in Mumbai on Sunday, he speaks to Bombay Times about his comeback to theatre and why doing a play is like taking a vacation for him.
With 2 To Tango... you returned to theatre after a gap of 18 years. Why did you stay away for so long?
When I first came to Mumbai to do films, I could not afford to do plays, as I was trying to make a career in movies. I was scared to commit to theatre. But now I have reached a stage in life where I deserve a holiday. So, instead of blowing up money and travelling to some place fancy for a vacation, I thought why not take three months off and do a play! Working on a play is like taking a vacation and that's why I decided it's the right time to make a comeback.
After doing an adult comedy, what prompted you to take up a serious play like Barff?
Who says this play doesn't have an element of naughtiness to it? The story might not be about sexuality, but it has its own bizarre, funny moments. Originally, Barff was written as a feature film. But I was invited to participate in a theatre festival by National School of Drama. At that time, I didn't have any play ready but I had this story in mind. I thought, why not convert the film into a play.
We've rarely seen thrillers presented on stage. Do you think it's a difficult genre to attempt?
Yes. Though we've had adaptations of international plays like The Mousetrap and Gaslight, I haven't seen an original Hindi thriller yet, so this is the first of its kind. Thrillers are a great genre to work on as you can experiment and do what you want. Also, they give the audience an edge-of-the-seat experience, which is unmatched.
The play is set against the backdrop of Kashmir. Do you think the politics portrayed in it might offend viewers?
This isn't a political play and personally, I don't think there is anything offensive. But then again, you are never free from the politics of a place. I have no intention of creating controversies. But I can't help it if people take offense to anything that happens in my play. I follow the policy, 'I am responsible for what I say, but not for what you understand'.
You've created snow on stage... tell us about it.
I wanted the audience to have the visual experience one has while watching a film. In films, you can shoot at real locations and take multiple shots; we don't have that luxury in theatre. I was inspired by Broadway productions, so I decided to partly emulate their ideas as I didn't want the play to be purely suggestive. It was tough to create snow, because snow machines in India are very expensive and noisy. But we did some research on the internet and developed our own machines, which suited our requirements. We have created the suggestion of mountains, haze and even clouds on stage!
You're shouldering the triple responsibility of being an actor, writer and director with this production. How challenging was it?
I am not worried at all. Actually, Vinay Pathak was originally supposed to play my character and he even performed the opening show for the festival. But he is a busy actor and didn't have the time to perform at the Mumbai premiere. So, I decided to play his character. Now, we are going to have an alternate cast, where both he and I will perform the character alternately.
A lot of film actors, who began their careers with theatre, are returning to the stage...
It's good because theatre is an actor's medium. We need to come back, explore and learn more about our craft. Unlike before, things are much better now. Earlier, people would ask us to give free passes, but now they are willing to pay for the tickets! When actors like Paresh Rawal or Anupam Kher do plays, they ensure commercial success. Of course, theatre isn't as profitable as films and will never be. But it helps you grow as an actor.
Films or theatre, which medium do you prefer?
I will never leave movies. I'm happily married to films, but occasionally, I don't mind having a fling with theatre. I have only one life. I won't settle down for any one thing. So tomorrow, if I want to play cricket work on a TV show or even sing, will do it all.
With 2 To Tango... you returned to theatre after a gap of 18 years. Why did you stay away for so long?
When I first came to Mumbai to do films, I could not afford to do plays, as I was trying to make a career in movies. I was scared to commit to theatre. But now I have reached a stage in life where I deserve a holiday. So, instead of blowing up money and travelling to some place fancy for a vacation, I thought why not take three months off and do a play! Working on a play is like taking a vacation and that's why I decided it's the right time to make a comeback.
After doing an adult comedy, what prompted you to take up a serious play like Barff?
Who says this play doesn't have an element of naughtiness to it? The story might not be about sexuality, but it has its own bizarre, funny moments. Originally, Barff was written as a feature film. But I was invited to participate in a theatre festival by National School of Drama. At that time, I didn't have any play ready but I had this story in mind. I thought, why not convert the film into a play.
We've rarely seen thrillers presented on stage. Do you think it's a difficult genre to attempt?
Yes. Though we've had adaptations of international plays like The Mousetrap and Gaslight, I haven't seen an original Hindi thriller yet, so this is the first of its kind. Thrillers are a great genre to work on as you can experiment and do what you want. Also, they give the audience an edge-of-the-seat experience, which is unmatched.
The play is set against the backdrop of Kashmir. Do you think the politics portrayed in it might offend viewers?
This isn't a political play and personally, I don't think there is anything offensive. But then again, you are never free from the politics of a place. I have no intention of creating controversies. But I can't help it if people take offense to anything that happens in my play. I follow the policy, 'I am responsible for what I say, but not for what you understand'.
You've created snow on stage... tell us about it.
I wanted the audience to have the visual experience one has while watching a film. In films, you can shoot at real locations and take multiple shots; we don't have that luxury in theatre. I was inspired by Broadway productions, so I decided to partly emulate their ideas as I didn't want the play to be purely suggestive. It was tough to create snow, because snow machines in India are very expensive and noisy. But we did some research on the internet and developed our own machines, which suited our requirements. We have created the suggestion of mountains, haze and even clouds on stage!
You're shouldering the triple responsibility of being an actor, writer and director with this production. How challenging was it?
I am not worried at all. Actually, Vinay Pathak was originally supposed to play my character and he even performed the opening show for the festival. But he is a busy actor and didn't have the time to perform at the Mumbai premiere. So, I decided to play his character. Now, we are going to have an alternate cast, where both he and I will perform the character alternately.
A lot of film actors, who began their careers with theatre, are returning to the stage...
It's good because theatre is an actor's medium. We need to come back, explore and learn more about our craft. Unlike before, things are much better now. Earlier, people would ask us to give free passes, but now they are willing to pay for the tickets! When actors like Paresh Rawal or Anupam Kher do plays, they ensure commercial success. Of course, theatre isn't as profitable as films and will never be. But it helps you grow as an actor.
Films or theatre, which medium do you prefer?
I will never leave movies. I'm happily married to films, but occasionally, I don't mind having a fling with theatre. I have only one life. I won't settle down for any one thing. So tomorrow, if I want to play cricket work on a TV show or even sing, will do it all.