Inside Out/Sam Kerawala

Technical director: Sam Kerawala8217;, say credits for Hosi Vasunia8217;s Barefoot in Mumbai, besides every other play these days. Who is he?

From stage personalities to fashion designers to film stars8230; even Zubin Mehta knows Sam Kerawala 8212; the 67-year-old former manager of Patkar Hall.

Straight from the horse8217;s mouth: quot;A person who knows everything about the technicalities of stage craft 8212; acting, direction, make-up, stage design, lighting.quot;

quot;Voltas. For six years I worked in every possible department of that company 8212; carpentry, painting, turning8230; And then with Premier Auto Electric, as a fuel injection specialist. I set up five service stations in India. But before they could make me a service manager, I left the job to take over Patkar Hall.quot;

A two-year scholarship from Natyasangh, which was affiliated to Indian Academy of Dramatics and Arts. Sam also studied at the J J School of Arts where he later taught set designing 8212; a course started by him, which closed down a few years ago. In 1970, five years after he joined Patkar Hall, he was the youngest director chosen to attend the World Theatre Conference in Germany. Later, he went to England for a course in acoustics, sponsored by the British Council.

quot;I had the entire stage to myself. After midnight, I would experiment there.quot; And 10 years ago, Sam directed Run for your wife, the longest running show of that time. He also directed for Hosi Vasunia before shifting to musicals.

quot;Several.quot; He set up the stage for a month-long fashion show at the grounds where the NCPA is now, sets for Paul Taylor Dance Company when it came to India, the acoustic shell for the European Community Youth Orchestrain 1989 starring Zubin Mehta and Pandit Ravi Shankar, sets for the play Mousetrap that was staged across the country, the Screen Awards last year, lights for Feroz Khan8217;s Qurbani and the first ever shows of Pierre Cardin and the House of Dior.

Sam Kerawala swears by the legendary playwright, the late Adi Marzban, with whom he worked as a backstage worker and later graduated to lighting and designing sets. He sees no parallel to set designer Anant Pai. quot;He was one person who could come out with cheap yet excellent set units.quot;

quot;I am,quot; he jokes. quot;In fact, after Adi no one could influence me,quot; he adds.

8211;MEETA BHATTI