For actor Rajit Kapur, who is known for his portrayal of Mahatma Gandhi in Making of the Mahatma (1996), it is not films but theatre that he considers to be his base and his “first love”. “I love films as well but the interaction with a live audience is the reason why I have stuck to theatre for so long. That transmission of energy between the audience and myself, gives me a big high,” says Kapur.
Having acted in plays such as A Walk In The Woods, and A Few Good Men, Kapur says, things have changed drastically in theatre over time. “There’s a lot of new writing coming into the theatre world. There are more and more people coming in from the younger generation to see live performances. When we started acting, there were more people in the age group of 30s who came to see theatre. Now, even 20-year-olds are thronging,” he says.
When asked if young actors have more affinity towards gaining fame on social media rather than enhancing their craft, he says, “If a person is grounded and has worked on stage, she/he has an advantage over those who are just jumping into the water.”
Kapur, who is also known for his portrayal of the fictional detective Byomkesh Bakshi in the eponymous television series that was broadcast on Doordarshan in the ’90s, was last seen in the play Mosambi Narangi, directed by Mohit Takalkar. The play, which is about two junior artists, shooting on a film set is translated by Ashok Mishra from the award-winning play Stones in His Pockets, by Marie Jones. “These two junior artists are played by myself and Ajeet Singh Palawat. We also play the other characters that the two artists (Mosambi and Narangi) play on the film set. As actors, it is challenging for both of us to adapt to that structure. The beauty of this play is that we get to create so many characters,” he explains.
{{/usCountry}}Kapur, who is also known for his portrayal of the fictional detective Byomkesh Bakshi in the eponymous television series that was broadcast on Doordarshan in the ’90s, was last seen in the play Mosambi Narangi, directed by Mohit Takalkar. The play, which is about two junior artists, shooting on a film set is translated by Ashok Mishra from the award-winning play Stones in His Pockets, by Marie Jones. “These two junior artists are played by myself and Ajeet Singh Palawat. We also play the other characters that the two artists (Mosambi and Narangi) play on the film set. As actors, it is challenging for both of us to adapt to that structure. The beauty of this play is that we get to create so many characters,” he explains.
{{/usCountry}}The play, Kapur adds, is also about the “hopes and disappointments, and dreams and aspirations of Mosambi and Narangi”. Talking about the process of preparing for the play, he says that he spent a lot of time with the script. “It is important to understand who these other characters are, so that they don’t appear as caricatures. As actors, we’ve spent almost three months on this play,” he signs off.