Life?s a play, world a stage...

Her association with the stage?as also with Bhatkhande?began with her training in Bharatnatyam, but as destiny would have it, the ?natyam? part of the dance form took over and Mridula Bharadwaj became a theatre actor.

Her association with the stage—as also with Bhatkhande—began with her training in Bharatnatyam, but as destiny would have it, the ‘natyam’ part of the dance form took over and Mridula Bharadwaj became a theatre actor.

HT Image

“It was in 1977 when I had finished B Ed after Masters from Kanpur University,” says Mridula, adding, “Around the time I attained Visharad in Bharatnatyam, an offer came from the theatre group Srishti and I got a part in their play ‘Apne Apne Rakshas’, which was followed by another offer from theatre group Meghdoot.”

It was the eponymous role in ‘Dulari Bai’ that established her as a name to reckon with in the theatre circuit.

“Till date, old friends call me by that name. The play was a thundering success and I have no count of how many times it was staged in Lucknow and in big and small cities of the country,” reminisces the actress, who also takes classes in the film and entertainment course run by the department of Sociology at the Lucknow University. She founded the National Institute of Performing Arts (NIPA) in 1991 and the venture took her across the seven seas on a number of occasions.

“The first time, it was to take part in a World Theatre Festival in Norway. And of all the plays staged by troupes from 30 countries, ours was declared the best.”

That trip to Scandinavia became her window to the world. It was at this Oslo fest that people took note and assignments began coming her way such as to design costumes for a Finnish play. When the play was an entry in a world theatre festival in Michigan, US, Mridula had to fly down to receive the prize for the best costumes.

“Theatre has a language of its own. If it fails to communicate to the audience, it is not worth the effort,” she says with reference to the language barrier. NIPA’s play ‘Bhagwajjukeeyam’ is an adaptation of the Sanskrit original a satire written by Bodhayan in the 6th century. “The contrast between renunciation and materialism is stuff that makes it the toast of international drama festivals. It was translated and I did the costumes for the Finnish version,” she says.

Her big and small screen repertoire boasts of projects like Sudhir Mishra’s film ‘Yeh Woh Manzil To Nahin’, RK Mishra’s TV serial Bano Begum and a celluloid adaptation of Premchand’s ‘Kafan’ in which she shares screen space with Rajpal Yadav. She was awarded the Manchkriti Samman in 2001.

Having been directed by leading lights of drama such as Devendra Raj Ankur, Surya Mohan Kulshreshtha and Urmil Kumar Thapaliyal, she looks back at her journey as one that was as enriching as fulfilling.

The best part is her hands are full and there’s not an evening when she is not either rehearsing for a forthcoming play or attending a literary function.
The journey continues.