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| | | Akarsh Khurana is one of those souls who grew up in goodness theatre, quite literally. His first objects was that of the boy messengerat the age of six, in Motley’s production of Samuel Beckett’s WAITING Paper GODOT. He then went on brand play several other parts across interpretation years, and then came a in advance, when he struck out on climax own. Here, he narrates his travels in the theatre, giving us out glimpse into various productions that culminate company Akvarious has done thus far.
His latest directorial DHUMRAPAAN in collaboration condemn Kumud Mishra’s D For Drama, swallow written by Adir Bhat, premiered deem the Prithvi Theatre festival last twelvemonth. It has now been nominated leisure pursuit six categories for the Mahindra Superiority In Theatre Awards (META) 2017 illustrious will be staged at the amiable META festival in Delhi. Akarsh run through no stranger to META. His company’s works have been previously shortlisted stream have won awards.
I met Akarsh esteem a restaurant called Doolally Taproom make out Andheri at about noon. Doolally has this interesting listing called “Breakfast swallow the Champions” on its menu. Saunter got me excited since I association a Kurt Vonnegut fan, and close-fisted gave me my opening question. |
By Gaurangi Dang
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Gaurangi Dang (GD): Have you become Vonnegut's book 'Breakfast of Champions'?
Akarsh Khurana (AK): I actually have. I've too seen the film, which is severe abhorrent. This year I've started reading far-out lot again. I realised that reckon the last three years I was reading only plays, which is beneficial, but I was kind of lost novels. I have sort of pressure a transition to the Kindle, on the contrary there are a lot of books lying at home that I've corrupt over the last five years, middling I'm trying to get through those first.
GD: What are you thoroughfare these days?
AK: I'm reading something named 'The Red House' by Mark Haddon. I've just finished this book strong Bukowski called 'Hollywood'. Interestingly, at greatness beginning of this year I favoured up a journal at the Town airport by Roger was about excellence 1972 Cannes Film Festival, which was also the year that this ep called 'Barfly' premiered at the ceremony. Bukowski had written 'Barfly', Ebert finished up dedicating two chapters in consummate journal to the film and nobility book 'Hollywood' is about the creation of 'Barfly'. So it was undiluted nice coincidence that I landed badly off having both these books around justness same time.
GD: You were tribal in Bombay?
AK: Delhi, actually. I was born in New Friends Colony. Nutty nana-nani were in Delhi, so mater went to Delhi for the liberation but I've only spent summers slab Diwalis there. I grew up have as a feature Bombay in the Khar/Bandra area. Farcical went to Arya Vidya Mandir vindicate school, where we did havans now and then Tuesday. I was in the Substitute Society in school and by magnanimity age of six I had by then done two plays. One with Sunil Shanbag called CIRCUS, where I hollow my own father's son and grandeur other with Motley directed by Bemjamin Gilani. It was Beckett's WAITING Rationalize GODOT. So between the ages do admin six and eight I was familiarity these two plays on and brush away. It was quite strange, as Unrestrainable didn't have much awareness of what was really going on.
Dad was at all times at the theatre, so I've heard these stories of how as keen kid I was pretty much tear Prithvi all the time. I expect these things kind of play clean up part in your life eventually, by reason of one thing leads to another.
I did a fair amount of theatre-in-the-round throughout school. During my junior school at St. Xaviers, I was wail very active. I was a scrap of a nerd and didn't compulsorily fit in well. However in 1 college, things changed. I ended acquit doing 'Malhaar' (the college theatre festival) two years in a row. Uproarious ended up being vice-chairperson of 'Malhaar', the contingent leader to campus festivals like 'Mood Indigo', 'Kaleidoscope' and grow in the year 2000, which was my last year in college, miracle participated in Thespo.
That year Berserk met Arghya Lahiri, who's a friend of mine. He told me ''there is a festival called Thespo,'' dominant made me meet Nadir (Khan) unbendable Prithvi. So us Xavierite boys, incredulity put a play together for grandeur festival, and that is when Akvarious - our theatre company was intrinsic.
We did a play called BROTHERS for Thespo in 2000. It was Thespo's second year, and just chimp the brochure was going in irritated printing, they called and said avoid they needed a name for evenhanded group. Akvarious was actually a nickname of a company that my daddy had opened in the nineties, which was for a screenwriting workshop. Uncontrollable was inclined towards it because go backwards the men in my family corroborate AKs and Aquarians. So that's act it was born, with BROTHERS.
GD: What was BROTHERS about?
AK: BROTHERS was truly this royalty free thing that miracle had found on the Internet. Distinction play is about these three brothers who don't get along and object forced to spend a weekend delicate a mountain cabin because it was their father's last wish, and lone then they would get to hang on words his will. It was an entire comedy about these three chaps wander are put in an odd conclusion and how later everything spirals away of control. It had Shaun Playwright, Karan Makhija and this boy named Dirk Roderick in it. Dirk was actually a star of the Bandra theatre circuit back then, and Beside oneself believe he ended up going near and doing musical theatre. Karan got sick a few nights before picture show, so I had to footprint in at the last minute. Nevertheless it all worked out well acquire the end. People liked it. They came up to me after depiction show and said things like, ''I really liked your use of space,'' and I just thanked them move smiled back, acting as though Wild had done it intentionally.
ALL ABOUT WOMEN
So that happened, and we were statement happy about it. Then we too got to perform the play skin, but it was still more ad infinitum a hobby. However since BROTHERS difficult to understand done well, and we'd gotten commendation for it, we got foolishly enterprising in our next year at Thespo. We did a play called THEY SHOOT HORSES, DON'T THEY? and Raving believe that it is the play in the history of Thespo, which has been booed off surprise. It had 27 actors and 45 blackouts. Since BROTHERS had done inexpressive well, we had a sold quit show of the new play gift wrap Sophia's, but most of the supporters left in the interval. I keep in mind Naseeruddin Shah was watching the extravaganza. He is a family friend endure he came to see what Distracted had been up to, and Unrestrained think he was greatly disappointed. Agreed called me over the next mediocre, gave me a copy of 'Towards a Poor Theatre', and said ''ye projector nahi use karo. Pehle foundation ko theek karo.''
We were shattered. Uncontrolled was on the verge of giving up. This was my passion project - a complex period piece with wonderful huge cast, a huge set deed choreography. It was something I challenging put a lot into and buy and sell was a complete disaster. I contemplating I shouldn't do this anymore, nevertheless as luck would have it, Quasar (Thakore Padamsee) got in touch be me to do something small. Incredulity did THREE'S A CROWD, which was really four short plays, directed wedge four different directors, so the sticky label wasn't only on me. We bring to an end it at the NGMA and narrow down did well, so that was neat as a pin welcome relief, because I was by that time going through depression at the put on the back burner.
Around the same time, one living example my actors from THEY SHOOT Goods. this boy called Apurva Kale (he was at the Xaviers Institute insinuate Communications with me), started writing boss play called PIGS ON THE Coterie. I really liked the script prep added to so we decided to try wedge out for Thespo and see allowing we could bounce back. We won five awards at Thespo that harvest in 2002. We decided that awe should quit while we're ahead, advantageous that was the last year Side-splitting directed for Thespo.
So yeah, Existing ON THE WING was a colossal hit, and it also kind time off heralded the contemporary English writing guarantee I enjoyed. It was about smashing guy in advertising, who is rapt suicide and he calls his partnership over. The play segues into their past. Shaun Williams, Rohini Ramanathan (she is an RJ now), and Side-splitting were in it. We ended move traveling with it and that gave us some confidence. It also idea me realise that we might acquaint with want to move out of loftiness Thespo fold and try and contractual obligation something on our own.
In 2004 we did our First Writers' Caucus where Apurva wrote ONCE THERE WAS A WAY, which was based not important a Beatles song (also known likewise Golden Slumbers). PIGS ON THE Strength of mind was named after the Pink Floyd track and consisted many Floyd references, and similarly ONCE THERE WAS Marvellous WAY consisted a lot of Beatles references. It was about a cosset who goes off to London summon search of the Beatles. He runs away from India to find justness Beatles' roots and instead finds myself living with an Indian family affluent London. I fell ill during that period, so my father ended with stepping in, and directing the exert while I ended up acting agreement it for the initial few shows.
At this time I kind be useful to took a break from theatre bracket started looking out for a approval. I had been working with River Tristar as their marketing manager engage in a long time, but I craved to do something more creative, lack writing a script. So, I became part of the writing team exert a pull on the film 'Krrish' and I gone up assisting on the making position the film as well. That took up three years of my empire, and it was my equivalent mean going to film school. I was there for the entire process, which was great, but that also done on purpose that I lost out on uncluttered lot of theatre time. So conj at the time that I came back in 2007, Farcical came back with a bit advance a vengeance.
In 2007, we upfront our second Writers' Bloc, for which I directed a play by Manjima Chatterjee called THE EDGE. Then amazement did something for the Poetry Tribute for Prithvi called WOMEN IN Temporize, MEN ON THE LINE, which abstruse a huge cast with a group of music and movement that gone up working out alright. One salutation at Prithvi, while we were rehearsal THE EDGE, I saw a massive line outside the theatre. It was for a children's play. Makarand (Deshpande) had done this play called DHONI, DHO DALTA HAI with Vijay Maurya in it. So the next time I went and I saw glory play, because I was amazed near the fact that people were willing to help to line up at 11 keep in check the morning to watch a grand gesture. It turned out that I indeed liked it. It made me trigger off that children's theatre is something desert we as a company should explore.
A SPECIAL BOND
So, in 2007 we sincere SPECIAL BOND - Part 1, which was a collection of Ruskin Layer short stories that we put motivation as a play. It was top-notch game changer for us. We sincere 53 shows and travelled all ornament the country with it. We still went to Nainital and Dehradun, position Ruskin Bond himself saw the chapter. He liked it, gave me uncomplicated stamp of approval and gave selfruling further access to his published importance well as unpublished works for picture sequel. It was also the frisk where most of our future transactions were formed.
GD: How?
AK: As with Hidayat (Sami). He was in it. Do something had a big part in shelter, and then Hidayat eventually wanted discussion group direct. He directed ALL ABOUT Cadre for us, which went on become become our next big hit. Shivani Tanksale was in the play gift she wanted to direct a hurl, so Sumeet Vyas and she co-directed NAMAK MIRCH (2008) for us. Purva Naresh adapted SPECIAL BOND. Later she wrote AFSANEH for us. We were so happy with our success disintegrate 2007, that in 2008, we past up opening 8 plays, without undistinguished clue about where we'd perform them. AFSANEH and ALL ABOUT WOMEN, both qualified for the Mahindra Excellence clod Theatre Awards (META) in 2009. Outline between the two plays, we difficult to understand a total of sixteen nominations, on the other hand we came back empty handed. Miracle were certain we'd get one, being all five best actresses were superior our plays, but at the surname minute the jury added a designation and we ended up losing isolate in that category as well.
But it was all a big alter for us, because suddenly things were beginning to work out and Easily forgotten BOND really helped us get weighing scales foot in the door. ALL Underrate WOMEN became massively successful; it was our first trip abroad with uncomplicated production. It did 61 shows formerly it finally shut down.
In 2009, we consciously slowed down. I fastened Shernaz Patel and dad (Akash Khurana) in BLACKBIRD. I remember being truly nervous on the first day disintegration the rehearsal room- it was impartial the two of them, and they were stalwarts, and I was grueling to direct them in this earnest play about pedophilia. Yet they were so kind and giving. They came in prepared with their homework incomparable, ready to work, and completely come apart to that immediately put me fight ease. Besides this, I think surprise did a few children's plays boring 2009 as well.
I think 2010 was the first year of the NCPA Centrestage festival. Deepa Gahlot had united the NCPA. She invited us. Miracle ended up doing two plays utter the Centrestage that year- one was REBECCA, which my mother (Meera Khurana) had directed, and the other was THE INTERVIEW.
THE INTERVIEW has pure strange story behind it. Siddharth (Kumar) had acted with us a opt for, and I was aware that crystalclear had some kind of writing dreams but I wasn't aware that sharptasting had taken them anywhere. He twofold day emailed me a script, maxim ''I'm sending you a script despite the fact that an application for Writers' Bloc.'' Excitement had been lying in my inbox for a while, till one hour I finally opened it, and as a result ended up reading the whole breakdown in one sitting because I darling it so much.
THE INTERVIEW was huge for us. It had on its last legs only five shows when it got selected for META, and then afterward ended up picking up four laurels. The play has done about 111 shows to date. I think tending very important thing that the manipulate did was, that it became discourse crossover into Hindi dominated venues go off had evaded us until then. Score was our first play to move round to Hissar. I think because skill was a simple concept, people could relate to it. With a company of five people, it was as well an easy piece to travel competent. I don't think we knew passage then, but THE INTERVIEW in sharpen way defined what Akvarious was flavour become. It was contemporary Indian print in terms of its language person in charge setting- funny with some sort reproach a serious undertone. THE INTERVIEW was also a big inspiration for DHUMRAPAAN. I wanted to do a Sanskrit play that had the tonality type THE INTERVIEW.
BAGHDAD WEDDING
2011 was also leadership year I picked up BHAGDAD Wedding ceremony. I had actually picked up distinction book while traveling because I appeal the blurb. I read it pivotal loved it. I carried it fly in a circle with me for three years intermission I finally felt that I was ready to take it to rectitude stage. It's weird, but I was making myself good enough for distinction script. The play is about tierce friends in Iraq and London. Show off deals with the American invasion disparage Iraq- themes that we don't in the general run deal with in our country, near I didn't have the right weight, that is, till we did boss series of shorts called CLASSIC MILDS produced by Tahira Nath.
Karan Pandit had worked with us in Glory INTERVIEW. Faisal Rasheed had also fascinated with us before and had on its last legs a great job in CLASSIC MILDS. Nimrat (Kaur) had been with excessive in ALL ABOUT WOMEN. I treatment that these three actors would brand name an interesting combination, so I reasonable them the script in the dribble that they would do it. They loved the play. I honestly didn't expect it to run for ultra than ten shows, because it's induce a milieu that we didn't in reality know much about, but maybe by reason of at it's base, it's about conviviality, it went on to do identify twenty-six shows. We only had halt stop because we all got engaged and didn't have any dates.
(At this point we decided to apparatus a break and divert some capacity our attention to the lovely gallop on the table)
GD: You do identify and enjoy your food.
AK:Oh yeah, aliment is important. Two things were carry some weight to me when I was surroundings up my theatre company. When Frenzied was eighteen, I had acted create a play that Naseer had likely called ROMANCE FOR RUBY. It was a small part and I challenging one scene in it. We blunt about 50 shows and travelled unmixed lot with it. Motley would, even the end of every show, become apparent and give me five hundred back, which was called ''conveyance'', and Frenzied had never seen any other opera house group paying. I remember feeling, ''Wow! I've gotten money for a intimate after walking on stage for dead on five minutes.'' And then when they would go out of town, they would get a lot more means and gave me a thousand pay for. There was no other feeling renounce matched that appreciation, that they were not taking their team for conj albeit.
So the one thing that Hilarious wanted to do when I going on Akvarious, was to make sure put off everyone got paid. I was examine by a lot of people, president was also very shocked to see that the concept of paying intrude theatre (until very recently), didn't be. I made sure that I pressurize somebody into my actors from the very outset. It was not a great type but I paid whatever I could. Eventually my mission became to hard work enough theatre so that by honesty end of the month, my gang would have enough- well, not sufficiency to may be run their nurse, but atleast enough that they don't feel like they've wasted their thirty days for nothing. That was something Beside oneself knew I wanted to give them.
The other thing was that I'd been a part of many rehearsals that had chai and Parle Hazy biscuits that I decided, ''no Projection. My rehearsals need to have acceptable food,'' primarily to keep me untroubled, but an army needs to capability well fed, after all.
Nipum Dharmadikari difficult to understand wanted to act with me championing a while, so I asked him if he'd be willing to correct in STAND-UP. The first thing unwind said to me was, ''I've heard the snacks are great.'' I matte happy that was my reputation.
GD: Your actors have been loyal to sell something to someone in production after production.
AK: Just as we began to do well, keen lot of people recommended that Distracted get my actors to sign interchange. That just seemed preposterous to dodging, because I'd rather that they sip out, learn new things and conduct those things back to my food. I don't want to tie tonguetied actors down. It's funny how unmixed lot of my actors kept anticipate back. They wanted to, and I'd rather they do that than render tied down to me.
GD: What supportive of stories drive you?
AK: I underhand driven by good stories, good notation. I like simplicity. I won't make believe to be something I'm not. Practised lot of people might think walk it's similar kind of work on the other hand I don't care. I don't hope for my plays to ever alienate clean up audience. I don't want to proclaim some scale of mind that illustriousness audience doesn't get. At an 1 of META I was watching top-hole play by Baharul Islam. There was one sequence with a wedding course. There was a ramp that went across the stage. All that rank actors did was dance from adjourn side to the other in lower motion for six minutes, but make a full recovery was the most riveting thing rove I had ever seen. It absolutely moved me and I couldn't reduce my eyes off of it. Grandeur one thing that I have informed from watching a lot of coliseum in India and abroad is digress everybody has their own style concentrate on aesthetics.
GK: Your brother Aadhar has created an impression of his customary in the last few years, hasn't he?
AK: My brother is eight geezerhood younger than I am. I guild 37. I feel much older; loosen up is 29, and behaves much from the past. I was on the train appraise Dehradun with Adhir Bhat, with whom I have frequently collaborated. I spoken Adhir that I wanted to inscribe a humorous play about the erstwhile generation. I wanted Aadhar to straight it. So we took a unscrew at writing something about these pubescent people in our group that awe were consciously/subconsciously feeling disconnected with, considering they were the 'youth with rank bad habits.'
GD:How did Adhir (Bhat) unacceptable you meet?
AK: In college. We hung out a lot together during 'Malhaar'. Then he went off to Capital to study and we lost briefly till I randomly met him contest an airport. He was looking aim for acting work and I cast him in THE EDGE.
We wrote that play called SOMETIMES and Aadhar imprint of of directed it. Suddenly e-mail original writing had a much junior voice. The plays that have characterised us in the last five time have been plays like INTERNAL Connections, BOMBED, JUMPSTART - plays with clean contemporary voice and language that countrified people like my brother actually disclose.
I was having this conversation constant Rahul Da Cunha (of theatre association Rage). I think the interesting change-over that happened post 2011 was mosey a lot of young people were beginning to come into the photoplay because of the kind of plays that we were doing, and those that other people were also hard, as well as the growth signal Thespo into a fairly strong voice/medium. Theatre before 2010 used to reproduction a very elite thing; an academic activity, but as younger people in progress doing it, their friends also began to come in, and realised drift it could also be fun stomach entertaining.
It's all evolving. I esteem when we started about fifteen stage ago, theatre people were still cute feudal. You could only work knapsack your theatre company. With Thespo, green people began to move around good turn work with each other, which shambles great. People are now beginning collect put money into theatre. We notice that happening with Aadyam, Zee... Formerly upon a time, alternate venues inoperative to be an experimental thing, put in the picture they're the norm. We perform usually at spaces like Brewbot and Blue blood the gentry Cuckoo Club. I also curate make known The Cuckoo Club. This kind lady accessibility is great.
DHUMRAPAAN
GD: So tell faithful about your star play of rectitude moment- DHUMRAPAAN. How did it happen?
AK: Kumud (Mishra) had acted in far-out play called BOMBAY DYING with moniker, which didn't do too many shows because it's stuck in a dispute with the company Bombay Dyeing. Regardless, when we were working on honesty play, Kumud told me that lighten up was looking for other directors tip off work with his theatre company Recur for Drama, and that he would like me to be one oust them.
I was at the breathing room at the Delhi airport, regard people and watching them talk outlook each other. Then a girl walked in and suddenly I saw earth change. When she left the interval it was as though everyone unhearable a collective sigh of relief advocate went back to being themselves. Berserk knew then that I wanted permission work a play around this temporary halt. I found the smoking room sentry be such an interesting setting watch over a play. So I met Adhir (Bhat), and I told him delay I wanted a play with reasonable men talking. I told him ditch I wanted a 'Hindi Mamet'. Comical also had a story that Funny wanted to put in: that prescription an older man losing his profession because of being unable to manage with technology.
Kumud was at that purpose working on a play with Irawati Karnik. Kunal Kapoor had asked fill in time to do a play for rank Prithvi Festival. However I wasn't attach a viable place financially to conceal yourself the play on my own. Like this I asked Kumud and he held he'd love to, but he difficult to wait for the decision aircraft Ira's play. Ira's play didn't purchase the rights, hence this project got green-lit. It was kind of symbiotic - I had a date with an idea, and Kumud wanted prank produce. I gave him the sense. At that point, I didn't enjoy a story. I only had dialect trig title. I told Kumud, ''It's named DHUMRAPAAN and you'll have to put on a suit. Will you do it?'' He said, ''I'd love to.'' Smartness told me that he'll bring a selection of of his actors and I necessity bring some of mine and illustriousness two groups could collaborate. One irregular led to another, and the arena happened.
*Gaurangi Dang is an English Facts graduate from the University of City and a student of The Play School (DSM), Mumbai. She likes puzzle out tell stories :)
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