‘I am a nautankiwallah’

This is what John has tried to incorporate in the textbooks for CBSE’s pilot project for theatre studies in schools for Class XI and XII. John hopes the project will make theatre an integral part of the learning ladder. “The idea is to use drama to understand tough subjects,solve intricate issues of learning,open the minds and hearts and finally get students to make a career in theatre,be it on or off stage. In the final year,we hope the entire class will function like a small theatre company,” he adds.

Having trained many actors who are now part of the film industry,including Shah Rukh Khan,John dismisses the idea that there is a magic formula for stardom. “Sometimes,the best actors don’t make it,while others attain success. It’s a strange world,you never know what works. But yes,theatre is the most rigorous education for actors,for here you are performing the entire script,’’ he says.

Though closely associated with films,John has never been a part of the film world,for he says it doesn’t excite him,“I am a nautankiwallah,nothing comes close to the world of theatre. It’s small and special and it’s only in theatre that you are treated humanely,” says John.