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Photos: Small town India takes its talent to the proscenium

Off the national media radar, armies of theatre enthusiasts are multiplying in nondescript cities in Bihar, Punjab, UP, Madhya Pradesh and Haryana. They are driven by improved facilities, exposure to theatre and a possible career in films, TV. Theatre enthusiasts in Bareilly, Shahjahanpur and Rohtak (Haryana) spoke to HT about their motivations, challenges and ambitions.

Updated on: Nov 26, 2018 12:54 PM IST

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1/10

Rahul Vajpayi has closeted himself in his tiny room in the theatre hostel building in Shahjahanpur in Uttar Pradesh (UP), his home for eight years. The 26-year-old actor is rehearsing the role of Cassio in the upcoming play Othello. He has got his short beard coloured light brown for the part. “I will crack this role in no time. Just watch,” he says. (Burhaan Kinu/HT PHOTO)

Updated on Nov 26, 2018 12:54 PM

Rahul Vajpayi has closeted himself in his tiny room in the theatre hostel building in Shahjahanpur in Uttar Pradesh (UP), his home for eight years. The 26-year-old actor is rehearsing the role of Cassio in the upcoming play Othello. He has got his short beard coloured light brown for the part. “I will crack this role in no time. Just watch,” he says. (Burhaan Kinu/HT PHOTO)

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A close-up of Rahul Vajpayi’s script for a play. Vajpayi is a member of Coronation Arts Theatre, one of 12 theatre groups active in Shahjahanpur. He and the battery of around 400 theatre artistes in town draw inspiration from actor-comedian Rajpal Yadav, a Shahjahanpur boy, who made it big in Bollywood. “More than half the actors currently active here come from Rajpal dada’s belt,” says Vajpayi. (Burhaan Kinu / HT Photo)

Updated on Nov 26, 2018 12:54 PM

A close-up of Rahul Vajpayi’s script for a play. Vajpayi is a member of Coronation Arts Theatre, one of 12 theatre groups active in Shahjahanpur. He and the battery of around 400 theatre artistes in town draw inspiration from actor-comedian Rajpal Yadav, a Shahjahanpur boy, who made it big in Bollywood. “More than half the actors currently active here come from Rajpal dada’s belt,” says Vajpayi. (Burhaan Kinu / HT Photo)

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A rehearsal at Rangviyanak Theater Group, in Bareilly. Off the national media radar, theatre enthusiasts are multiplying in cities in Bihar, Punjab, UP, Madhya Pradesh and Haryana. They are driven by improved facilities, exposure to theatre and a possible career in films, TV. “This is a quiet revolution of sorts,” says Mumbai-based theatre director and acting coach Ashok Purang. (Burhaan Kinu / HT Photo)

Updated on Nov 26, 2018 12:54 PM

A rehearsal at Rangviyanak Theater Group, in Bareilly. Off the national media radar, theatre enthusiasts are multiplying in cities in Bihar, Punjab, UP, Madhya Pradesh and Haryana. They are driven by improved facilities, exposure to theatre and a possible career in films, TV. “This is a quiet revolution of sorts,” says Mumbai-based theatre director and acting coach Ashok Purang. (Burhaan Kinu / HT Photo)

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After his team performed Othello, 59-year-old Zareef Malik Anand (pictured) was working hard, appealing before a local politician for better lighting facilities at Shahjahanpur’s Gandhi Bhavan auditorium. “What you see now is a sea change from the time when I started out,” he said, recalling open arenas in schools and temples with rented equipment. “We have come very far. But this is nowhere near decent,” he said. (Burhaan Kinu / HT Photo)

Updated on Nov 26, 2018 12:54 PM

After his team performed Othello, 59-year-old Zareef Malik Anand (pictured) was working hard, appealing before a local politician for better lighting facilities at Shahjahanpur’s Gandhi Bhavan auditorium. “What you see now is a sea change from the time when I started out,” he said, recalling open arenas in schools and temples with rented equipment. “We have come very far. But this is nowhere near decent,” he said. (Burhaan Kinu / HT Photo)

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Like the rest of the country, it was common for male theatre artistes in Shahjahanpur to cross-dress for female roles. Rachna Sharma, younger daughter of a railway employee, stirred a controversy of sorts by entering the all-male domain when she joined Anand’s group. Rachna’s father used to organise Ramleela among his colleagues, and saw nothing wrong in his daughter doing theatre. (Burhaan Kinu / HT Photo)

Updated on Nov 26, 2018 12:54 PM

Like the rest of the country, it was common for male theatre artistes in Shahjahanpur to cross-dress for female roles. Rachna Sharma, younger daughter of a railway employee, stirred a controversy of sorts by entering the all-male domain when she joined Anand’s group. Rachna’s father used to organise Ramleela among his colleagues, and saw nothing wrong in his daughter doing theatre. (Burhaan Kinu / HT Photo)

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“This is magic,” 13-year-old Meenakshi (not pictured) thought to herself while watching the play Ek Nayi Shuruaat back in 2000 in Rohtak, Haryana. She had gone there with her father. On the way home, she wondered about the girls on the stage – were they not shamed for this? Didn’t they get a beating from their parents? Almost 20 years later, Meenakshi is one of the most successful theatre artistes in Haryana. (Burhaan Kinu / HT Photo)

Updated on Nov 26, 2018 12:54 PM

“This is magic,” 13-year-old Meenakshi (not pictured) thought to herself while watching the play Ek Nayi Shuruaat back in 2000 in Rohtak, Haryana. She had gone there with her father. On the way home, she wondered about the girls on the stage – were they not shamed for this? Didn’t they get a beating from their parents? Almost 20 years later, Meenakshi is one of the most successful theatre artistes in Haryana. (Burhaan Kinu / HT Photo)

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Sohail Mohammad, a theater artist shows photographs of performances. In 1991, inspired by the success of Kerala’s total literacy movement, the Haryana government involved street theatre groups to improve the state’s literary rate. “These were small groups of eight to 10 artistes. Around 20 such groups were active in every district. We trained local people and they further trained others. In 1995, the literacy project wound up. (Burhaan Kinu / HT Photo)

Updated on Nov 26, 2018 12:54 PM

Sohail Mohammad, a theater artist shows photographs of performances. In 1991, inspired by the success of Kerala’s total literacy movement, the Haryana government involved street theatre groups to improve the state’s literary rate. “These were small groups of eight to 10 artistes. Around 20 such groups were active in every district. We trained local people and they further trained others. In 1995, the literacy project wound up. (Burhaan Kinu / HT Photo)

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For Meenakshi’s generation, the new wave of theatre offered hope, relationships and challenges. Theatre brought about the proverbial winds of change. Never before had people of a lower caste visited Meenakshi’s Brahmin household. Now, they were sharing the sofa, vehicles and utensils. Changes among the male members of the group were apparent. Boys either became gender sensitive or simply quit. (Burhaan Kinu / HT Photo)

Updated on Nov 26, 2018 12:54 PM

For Meenakshi’s generation, the new wave of theatre offered hope, relationships and challenges. Theatre brought about the proverbial winds of change. Never before had people of a lower caste visited Meenakshi’s Brahmin household. Now, they were sharing the sofa, vehicles and utensils. Changes among the male members of the group were apparent. Boys either became gender sensitive or simply quit. (Burhaan Kinu / HT Photo)

9/10

Curtains open on a congested neighbourhood in Bareilly. A mother is having a serious conversation with her son. She asks him if he has consulted the clerics before playing Lord Ram in the Ramleela, scheduled after 10 days. “It is just a role, ammi” says 28-year-old Danish Khan pictured), actor and production designer with the theatre group Rang Vinayak Rangmandal (RVRM). (Burhaan Kinu / HT Photo)

Updated on Nov 26, 2018 12:54 PM

Curtains open on a congested neighbourhood in Bareilly. A mother is having a serious conversation with her son. She asks him if he has consulted the clerics before playing Lord Ram in the Ramleela, scheduled after 10 days. “It is just a role, ammi” says 28-year-old Danish Khan pictured), actor and production designer with the theatre group Rang Vinayak Rangmandal (RVRM). (Burhaan Kinu / HT Photo)

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The group’s productions have played extensively across north India. RVRM members have even acted in critically acclaimed Bollywood movies. Danish’s mentor, Rakesh Srivastava, is a veteran Bareilly-based theatre actor-director. For him, comparing then and now, when always short of resources, theatre artists would always be on the lookout for household items to use as props, seeing these advancements is like travelling in a time machine. (Burhaan Kinu / HT Photo)

Updated on Nov 26, 2018 12:54 PM

The group’s productions have played extensively across north India. RVRM members have even acted in critically acclaimed Bollywood movies. Danish’s mentor, Rakesh Srivastava, is a veteran Bareilly-based theatre actor-director. For him, comparing then and now, when always short of resources, theatre artists would always be on the lookout for household items to use as props, seeing these advancements is like travelling in a time machine. (Burhaan Kinu / HT Photo)

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