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Dedicated artiste upbeat about opportunities in theatre
There is plenty of scope for youngsters in the field of theatre. However, the profession needs to be pursued with sincerity and dedication, feels veteran theatre artiste Jagdeep Verma.
There is plenty of scope for youngsters in the field of theatre. However, the profession needs to be pursued with sincerity and dedication, feels veteran theatre artiste Jagdeep Verma.
Verma who has spent almost four decades in this field confirms that the present scenario has become much favourable for those who want to adopt theatre as a profession.
"But the mushrooming of theatre organisations in the city at such an alarming rate is a matter of concern. Those responsible for it might prove to be a threat for the upcoming generation as they have imbibed little knowledge which they unfortunately deliver to others also," said Verma.
Verma said that the situation might worsen as these organisations are formed mostly for financial interests and they are the best examples of misuse of funds granted for some significant purposes. "I belonged to the period when we as young artistes were not courageous enough to ask for the exact date of production. But today the first question put up to a director is about the date and thus the newcomer already loses scope of further enhancing his or her skills as an artiste," stated Verma.
Verma also runs his own theatre group named 'Aastha'. He has already played good innings in acting in a few serials produced by Doordarshan Mau, Doordarshan Varanasi and Doordarshan Allahabad. He is also working as a mentor and guide for Ankur Natya Samiti. "Theatre still hasen't gained the reputation of being the excellent means of earning ones livelihood. Thus I am also working as a section officer in AGUP," he added.
Verma who started his stint with theatre while he was in class fourth, still feels excited when he recalls his 'old' days. "In the intermediate college, I won the best actor award for my role as Mahatma Gandhi and that perhaps was the most significant moment in my life as it boosted my morale to continue acting," he said.
The versatile actor got the opportunity to work with the theatre personalities such as Sharanbali Srivastav, Satyavrat Sinha, Dr Sudhir Chandra, Dr Malviya and Dr Rajendra Sharma.
As a director too, Verma has expressed his creativity in the plays Veer Kunwar Singh, Wafa ki putli, Mukti, etc.
On the issue of audience disinterest in the theatre, Verma commented, we need to give something as food for thought to the audience and then only we could expect their undiverted interest. "My advice is don't experiment too much with theatre as this could distort the entire set-up. Experiments need to be productive and also done in the right direction," he added.
Naseeruddin Shah and Anupam Kher are his favourite actors who still inspire him. "Anupam Kher was at his best in 'Saaransh' and he once again proved himself in the movie 'Maine Gandhi ko nahi mara'. It is a worth watching stuff and offers so much to learn from Anupam's acting," he admitted.
At present he is planning to diversify his skills in folk theatres and produce the 'nautankis' based on the life of martyrs from 1857 to 1947. "I have already started with 'Veer Kunwar Singh' and the idea is to present the shows before the rural audience too in order to post them about the invaluable contributions of these martyrs," said Verma.
