Theatre will always exist but on the fringes: Kalki Koechlin on World Theatre Day

On World Theatre Day tomorrow, Kalki Koechlin talks about the importance of theatre in the digital era; adds it will never die

With the rise of OTT platforms in this digital age, one might be alarmed about the future of theatre, but Kalki Koechlin isn’t. Having been part of over 20 plays, the actor says that points out that, “it has survived many technological revolutions in entertainment”. She says, “Theatre is one of the mediums which will always exist but on the fringes. If you look at Shakespeare’s time, it has been a tool for subversion, a way to put out information which is beyond it’s time which can’t be done in a commercial format. Theatre is great way to put political and social expressions. That’s why it will never die and I don’t think any new medium will be a threat to theatre. However, digital content is not making it easier for theatre either.” Kalki is happy with the growing number of digital shows as they “pay well and in turn allow actors to do theatre” without worrying about money.

Mumbai: Actress Kalki Koechlin during the launch of her upcoming web series "Made In Heaven" at Amazon Prime Video in Mumbai, on March 7, 2019. (Photo: IANS) (IANS)

Comparing theatre to other formats- films, television and now, the digital medium- the Gully Boy actor says, she will always be in love with theatre. She adds, “Doing theatre is quite a process. It engages your body and your mind, all at once. It is like going to the gym. It makes you quite alert as an actor, I feel. When you are shooting a film or a digital series, you have longer periods of waiting in the vanity van, with few shots to shoot a day. While, every time, when you prep for your performance, you do an hour of warm up, voice exercises, yoga and other activities to get into the mood. We have to immerse ourselves into the process and only then do we go on stage to perform. I agree, it is still a big struggle to do independent theatre in India. You just about recover your cost, but thankfully, of late, there are some alternative spaces coming up in Mumbai, which enables a low production cost.”