Stage of Life

At the time she planned to launch a company that would promote performing arts,Nandita Das was pregnant. So,along with husband Subodh Maskara,the actor-filmmaker decided to name the company Chhoti — an affectionate Hindi word for a little girl — after their awaited child. That they eventually had a baby boy did not affect their decision,but Das’ life post marriage and the birth of her son Vihaan — who is two years old now — has prompted her foray into theatre in many ways.

Chhoti’s first production is a play,Between the Lines,which also marks Das’ debut as a playwright and theatre director. “I was a free-spirited woman all my life who could balance work and personal life. Marriage and motherhood came with sudden responsibilities,which I was struggling to cope with. It was the perfect time to write and direct a play,” says Das. A businessman otherwise,Das’ husband Maskara will also debut as an actor with the play.

The play will premiere on October 6 in Mumbai and will travel to Ahmedabad,Bangalore,Gurgaon,Delhi,Kolkata and later to Dhaka in Bangladesh.

Das chose theatre over films as a medium despite the comfort of familiarity they offer. “It’s more personal and appeared truer to life. There’s also lesser accountability in case of failure as compared to films,” she says. Between the Lines is about a couple married for 10 years,both lawyers,who find each other battling out at either sides of the court. And as their private and professional lives blur,they struggle to find balance in their lives.