Back on Stage

The play,which premieres on August 15 at Rangsharda auditorium,Bandra,will have Shifaali act alongside Kiran Karmarkar,a popular television personality and a renowned name in Marathi theatre,and theatre actors Abhir and Adir. “For me,it is like returning back to school and answering an exam every day,” says Shifaali of her rehearsals. “There are no retakes,no dubbing or flashbacks to hold the audience’s concentration. Beyond the fifth row,people will not be able to see my face. So it is my voice that will carry the play forward,” she says.

Although Vipul doesn’t get to do much as he is merely the producer,the most difficult part was to get the dates of all artistes at the same time. But once that fell into place,the rehearsals were a pleasure to watch. “I did feel a big difference when I returned to theatre. As a producer,my job is limited to making a few suggestions or watching the rehearsals. But when I watched them rehearse,I did feel the urge to act,” says the filmmaker,who feels the drive for perfection reduces when you progress in your film career. “With theatre,the focus has to be there.”

Vipul,before turning to Bollywood,was a well-known name in the Gujarati theatre circuit. And during those years,he had even approached Shifaali to work in few of his plays. “But she rejected whatever I offered her. Either she didn’t have the time or she didn’t like the role I offered her,” he jests. To which his wife adds,“But I did regret that later.” After all these years,it was destiny that brought them together,believes Vipul. “I had to take somebody else’s work in order to cajole Shifaali into doing this play,” he smiles.

Over the years,a lot has changed in Indian theatre. After a generation of theatre artistes moved to television and films,“the quality of theatre deteriorated”,feels Vipul,who now wants to lure the younger generation to return to the theatres. “I strongly believe that a country’s culture diminishes when its involvement in theatre diminishes,” he adds. Vipul now plans to be more actively involved in the art form and,if time permits,will even take up acting. Shifaali,on the other hand,will do a play only if it is as challenging as Bas Itna Sa Khwab Hai. “I don’t want to do it as an exercise. I have to be really excited about it.”