Abhishek Banerjee is a well-known name in Hindi cinema today, but his acting journey started on the stage. On World Theatre Day today, he reflects on the role theatre has played in his life as he says, “Theatre holds all the importance in my career. It is not only about just acting, but it’s a personality development course.”
The 39-year-old adds, “Usually, it is missing when you are trying to act in an industry which is a cinema and camera based. The sense of group on stage teaches you a lot about working with people who have their own expertise. The whole fun of being an actor is doing it with a group and realising that you are not doing it alone. Theatre is a deep-rooted personality development course which I did.”
Abhishek started his theatre journey in Kirori Mal College, University of Delhi, by being a part of its theatre society which boasts alumni like actors Amitabh Bachchan, Sushant Singh, Divyenndu, Mohammad Zeeshan Ayyub, amongst others. “I truly feel that our college theatre group has definitely contributed in the history of cinema in the last 20 years,” he says, adding that the confidence he got from there, has helped him in cinema, especially in today’s time: “Currently, when we are doing a lot of green-screen acting, theatre is very necessary. I have been thanking God since Bhediya that I have performed on stage because it teaches you to imagine, which we use a lot in green screens.”
The actor insists that in today’s time, where new talent is criticised for being under prepared, theatre is a necessity for young talent: “You have to spend some years on stage, that is the bare minimum, and I don't understand why it's not taken seriously. You can join acting classes, but you need to spend at least two-three years doing theatre as you need to perform on stage. The problem comes with the mentality ki star banne ke liye theatre ki zarurat thodi hai. But it is essential. Even the biggest superstar of our country Shah Rukh Khan also comes from stage and so does Amitabh Bachchan. It is oxygen for an actor as simple as that. If you have not done theatre, basically you've never taken a breath as an actor. That's what puts life in your acting.”
{{/usCountry}}The actor insists that in today’s time, where new talent is criticised for being under prepared, theatre is a necessity for young talent: “You have to spend some years on stage, that is the bare minimum, and I don't understand why it's not taken seriously. You can join acting classes, but you need to spend at least two-three years doing theatre as you need to perform on stage. The problem comes with the mentality ki star banne ke liye theatre ki zarurat thodi hai. But it is essential. Even the biggest superstar of our country Shah Rukh Khan also comes from stage and so does Amitabh Bachchan. It is oxygen for an actor as simple as that. If you have not done theatre, basically you've never taken a breath as an actor. That's what puts life in your acting.”
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