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Interestingly enough, the scenario is quite different in other countries. Copywriters who are actors and art directors who are also film directors are an almost unheared-of breed. Italians would be surprised to know that Kabir Bedi a.k.a Sandokan used to work in Oamp;M then known as OBM Bombay. Theatre-goers in Dubai would be equally surprised to know that Rahul da Cunha, director of I8217;m Not Bajirao also works in an ad agency which bears his surname.One reason theatre people abroad don8217;t venture into advertising is because they don8217;t need to. They can earn a living doing plays, their first love. Not so here.

But financial necessity may not be the only reason that many combine theatre and advertising in their lives. As Alyque Padamsee points out in A Double Life, there are a lot of parallels between the twin professions: They are both about manufactured reality,8217; both deadline-driven, both about teamwork 8212; involving large dollops of team spirit, channelised by a director or a creative director. One has a brand as the hero, the other a person.

Even in India, double-barreled creative folk weren8217;t always common. Padamsee names the late Hamid Sayani as the pioneer of this trend. Sayani was followed by the brothers Sylvester and Gerson da Cunha whose family tradition has now been passed down to Rahul. Then came others like Satyajit Ray. He went on from advertising to become one of the world8217;s greatest film directors.

How does it feel to lead adouble life in advertising and acting? As an ad guy who dabbles in film and, of late, theatre, I have at times asked myself this question. Yes! All of the above was just a preamble to talking about myself. So here8217;s a first-hand account: About two months ago I auditioned for director-producer-actor Hosi Vasunia. I got the part of Rahul Capoor yes, with a C in his latest production Barefoot in Mumbai, an adaptation of Neil Simon8217;s Barefoot in the Park. From the next day, I had a full-fledged double life. Every evening after work I would rush to the NCPA for rehearsals. I8217;d get home at 10 pm, eat and collapse in bed exhausted. Unless, of course, I had office work left over. In which case I would burn the midnight oil. Or should I say, the candle. At both ends.

I had acted in films before. As well as in TV commercials 8212; if you can call that acting. But this was to be my first time on stage. I was, as I went on to discover, a whole different ball game. Much more demanding, physically andmentally.

A double life is exhausting but stimulating. I have found that it has made me more mentally alert, more productive at work. The creative energy released while rehearsing would feed the creativity involved in copywriting and vice versa. There were times when it became almost impossible to manage the time. But I never let my work suffer 8212; only my social life basically, I ceased to have one. In his book, Mr Padamsee talks about how his double life barely left him time for family and friends. He says, 8220;I am surprised, in retrospect, that I have had time for 3 wives!8221; I envy him. I haven8217;t had time even for one.

After the opening show of Barefoot, I was panned by the critics. It was my first taste of one of the negative aspects of this double life. I thought of friends and colleagues reading the reviews. Worst still, I thought of enemies gloating over them. What made up in part for this was strangers coming up to me and telling me how much they enjoyed my performance. And there was ofcourse the instant feedback on stage 8212; the hearty laughter from the audience.

But the high point of my second life came on opening night 8212; when Mr Padamsee himself came backstage, shook my hand and said the two words, 8220;Good job.8221;