Theatre groups can help backstage staff: Aahana

In an interview with Aahana Kumra, the actor talks about the effect of the lockdown on theatre

The month of April was supposed to be a rather important month for Aahana Kumra. She was looking forward to perform her play, Dekh Behen after a year but the shows have been pushed indefinitely due to the lockdown “All our shows across Hyderabad, Pune and Mumbai have been cancelled. I was really looking forward to my line up this month because I didn’t have a very busy schedule and so I said a yes to all my plays,” she says with a heavy heart. She adds, “Manav (Kaul) was supposed to open his play, Giving Up On Godot. We all work so hard and look forward to opening our plays. It’s quite heart breaking. We’ve no idea what the outcome of the explosion of the virus is going to be like. But let’s look at the brighter side of things. We don’t know who might be the carrier of the virus, so it’s fine.”

Commenting on backstage staff who’re going without pay, she says, “My heart goes out to all the daily wage workers. Theatre, in India, is a very challenging space. The money is so less here. How is the staff going to support their families?” she asks.

Kumra believes that a solution to the problem would be setting up a fund to help those in need. “Theatre groups can come forward and put some money to help those who work backstage. The theatre industry does a lot for their people. It’s a small community and people go out of their ways to do things for others. If those people seek help, he heads of the theatre groups will definitely reach out to them,” she signs off.