Theatre artistes should make the most of technology now: Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub

In an interview with HT, the actor stresses on the importance of theatre and talks about how the theatre circuit must unite in these bleak times. Read on

An alumnus of National School Of Drama (New Delhi), Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub makes sure that he invests ample time doing plays despite acting in films. The actor, who runs a theatre group called Being Association with wife Rasika Agashe, asserts that much like any other sector, the Covid-19 pandemic has given a severe economic blow to the theatre industry. “It’s very unfortunate,” he says.

Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub believes everyone in the theatre circuit should care for each other today(Photo: Instagram/Mohdzeeshanayyub)

He believes that for an industry that already faces a lot of challenges economically, it’s necessary for everyone associated with it to help each other. He elaborates, “It’s important for every member in the theatre circuit to take care of each other and be there for one another. A lot of effort goes into funding a play. The cost of booking an auditorium is also quite high. People who own rehearsal spaces, small performance spaces and auditoriums need to be understanding and refund the money that went into booking them for plays to be staged. What they can also do is to agree to hold the performances at a later date.” 

The Raees (2017) actor adds that the government should play an altruistic role during these testing times. “Mumbai is an expensive city to live in. The government should look into issues such as decreasing the rent and postponing the payment of taxes,” he says.

But Ayyub’s looking out for the silver lining. He says that theatre artistes should make the most of the lockdown. “The positive side to this is that people will get the time to sit and write new stuff. Theatre isn’t just limited to an auditorium. We should make the most of technology and I would urge artistes to record a five minute recitation or a performance and post them online. In order to help people deal with these tough times, one can engage in short story reading sessions and even put up interesting quotes on their social media. This will help us keep in touch with our craft,” he shares.