Journalism of Courage
Theatre artist Jayesh Thakkar on why his friends call him a selfish actor
Monday to Friday: Work at a software company in Pune to earn the bread and butter. Friday night to Sunday night: Back to ‘life’ in Mumbai. A life of rehearsals,characters,scripts,sets and laughs. Jayesh Thakkar’s recent performance in the city in the play ‘Get Rid of My Wife’ left no room for doubt that theatre is his passion. He played ‘Manav’ – a speech-impaired character. His comic timing,his energy on stage and his expressions brought in applause and even a proposal for a play production in the city. “Let’s see how that goes because I’ve lived in Pune for over nine years and this is only my third show here. I know Pune yearns for good plays,but there’s a gap between the demand and supply. Theatre here needs good sponsors,” he thinks aloud.
Thakkar’s association with theatre artiste Paritosh Painter is over 15 years old. They trained under stalwart Dinyar Contractor. “He is the king of comedy but both Paritosh and I didn’t want to limit ourselves to adult comedy. That’s how we launched plays that families can come and watch,” he says. Some of their noted works include Paying Guest; I Do,I Don’t; Whose Wife Is It Anyway; and See No Evil,Hear No Evil,Speak No Evil. Three months back,they launched their new play – I Am The Best,also starring Pooja Ghai. “It’s based on a reality show wherein two magicians are invited to stay in the same house. Shreyas Talpade plays the host – we’ve recorded his part. In the play,we’ve performed some extraordinary magic,” Thakkar describes. He’s also the technical director and has managed the lights,set,music,gimmicks.
Spontaneity is an extension of his personality as is humour . Off-stage,he’s relatively calmer,he admits. “My friends call me a selfish actor and a live-wire on stage. I don’t know what happens to me once I’m in character. I just throw energy on stage,” he says with a smile.
