20 years in theatre were creatively satisfying but not financially: Piyush Mishra

Recollecting his journey, in a candid chat with indianexpress.com, Mishra shared how theatre was satisfying, but financially challenging. “I spent 20 years in theatre in Delhi, from 1983-2003. That was a very bright phase creatively, though it also left me very weak financially. When I shifted to Mumbai, I barely had anything to give to my family. The next 16 years in Mumbai were important because cinema helped my family and I stand on our own. If your films work, there is no better opportunity, and luckily mine did. Now, at this stage, after doing theatre, films are important as it gives me money,” he confessed.

Piyush Mishra has written and directed the popular play, Gagan Damama Bajyo. (Photo: QuestionAssociaties/Facebook)

Mishra was talking on the sidelines of his play Gagan Damama Bajyo, which returned to Delhi recently, after 25 years. The play, written and directed by Mishra, narrates the story of Indian freedom fighter Bhagat Singh from his college days in Lahore in 1923 to his death sentence in March 1931. Presented by Q&A, Gagan Damama Bajyo is backed by Tamboo Productions.

Asserting how our history textbooks don’t tell us the real story of Bhagat Singh, Mishra revealed why he chose the iconic leader from India’s freedom struggle for his play. “I wrote Gagan Damama Bajyo in 1994. In class 8, we had a two-page chapter on Bhagat Singh, the revolutionary. When I began researching, I realised he was an intellectual. His character fascinates me,” Mishra stated.

A music composer, lyricist, singer and scriptwriter, what is the one role that he finds the most satisfying? “Acting gives me ultimate satisfaction. Even when I write (plays), I enact the scene and every character in my mind. For example, while writing about Bhagat Singh’s days in Lahore, I needed to imagine how people spoke in Lahore in 1921,” the thespian shared.

Piyush Mishra along with his Ballimaran band members after a performance. (Pjoto: Piyush Mishra/Facebook)

On not receiving any awards for his critically acclaimed performance in Anurag Kashyap’s film Gulaal, the actor says he didn’t feel disheartened, but it did mark a turning point for him. “Awards today are all sold out! I was expecting something for Gulaal — as a writer, singer or actor. When nothing came, I gave up on awards and decided to only concentrate on my work,” he recalled.

Incidentally, in addition to theatre, Piyush Mishra also runs the band Ballimaaraan-The Piyush Mishra Musical Project. This is meant to be Mishra’s tribute to Mirza Ghalib in musical form. His band performs the songs he wrote and composed during his theatre days.