Taandava: March 2007

I guess for many like me, the first thing that comes to mind when we think about Theatre or Stage plays is a tiny little block in Juhu, very close to the beach and ever so filled with vibrant atmosphere - Yes, I am talking about Prithvi Theatre.
Prithvi holds many fond memories for me, starting from my college days. Since it is just a couple of blocks from home, I use to practically end up there every second day either enjoying some electrifying performances or simply making conversations with friends over a cup of coffee.

There is no denying the fact that Prithvi has been solely responsible for presenting the Hindi Film Industry with some of the best talents the nation has ever seen. Actors/writers like Kay Kay Menon, Anurag Kashyap, Naseeruddin Shah, etc. consider the experience gained as a theatre artist and the time spent at Prithvi to be the main reason for their success today.
So for me get a one-on-one conversation with the woman standing behind this Powerhouse platform and one of the most appreciated form of entertainment - was much more than a dream come true.
Ladies and Gentlemen, I present to you Sanjana Kapoor.
~~
How did you end-up becoming the sole-handler of Prithvi?
Well it happened every so slowly and ever so insidiously, it was never meant to be. Really, genuinely was never meant to be. Ever since my mother passed away it was Kunal and Firoz who ran the theatre for 8 long years. And I was in and out of the country, watching from the sidelines and at times participating as a volunteer during festivals. And there were super festivals at that time. I always had this burning, indescribable desire to just connect and to somewhere know that perhaps there was something of my mother lingering inside of me. But I was hugely terrified of entering into anything at Prithvi, just the hugeness of responsibility and lack of experience in my life.
I came on board about 16 years ago very very gradually. I had time on my hand and I said to the trustees i.e. my brother and father, I am going to just see what’s going on and in what way I can fit myself in. So they did give me a long rope, as long as I was going to raise my own money. There were not going to give me a penny which was fine with me. I watched shows for one year and I realized that the most problematic area was the complete disconnect between our vision and what was actually going on here. The quality of theatre was a complete abysmal and so was the audience. There were paan-thuks on the wall, they were talking back to the actors in an incredibly surprising way almost as if they were watching television in their homes.
So I jotted down a 5 point plan then. I set about to start a children’s work-shop and so we started children’s program for summer, it’s been going for 15 years now. Then we started the Art Gallery, actually re-started the Art Gallery. Initially it was run by my mother and her friends. Then we had brunches under the bamboo in the cafe during openings, very relaxing and informal. We wanted to breathe a new life into the cafe because it is an integral part of Prithvi. Later we started our own production company called Prithvi Players and Little Prithvi Players. It happens occasionally, nothing on regular bases only when needed we come out with our own productions.
And the un-realized 5th point of the plan was a library. We had collected over 1000 books, they came mostly thru donations and connected to theatre. But we didn’t have a place to display them on. And sadly, the floods in 2005 destroyed quite a lot of them since they were kept in the basement. But now we are seriously thinking about it and should set up a library and a resource center very soon.
So it all happened real slow and I just started with these tiny little things. For me everything was learning on the job and I think it went quite well.
How much theatre in general and Prithvi theatre in particular contributed to your understanding of acting?
Ha! Well I don’t think I even understand it now. Appreciation of acting, well it could be mixture between being taken to England every year as a child and seeing work there. And I was taken to everything were my parents went to be it films, theatre or opera. And like wise here, I remember as a 10 year old sleeping the backseat after a long night at the theatre.
Just the other day my brother Kunal was telling me that our mum had such a reverence towards education that even during his ICSC exams she took him to a Vilayat Khan concert. I just love her for that because she knew it was as important, there was just no question of missing a Vilayat Khan concert. So that was the background we came from and it came as a rude shock to me when finally I did act in a film and it was like I had no idea how to work or act. Having been exposed to all this but then having no training as an actress and no experience. Plus having a director who was not necessarily good in getting it out. I mean Ketan is more of a vision man rather than an actor’s director so then I went to a drama school in New York which was an incredible experience. The process was just a year but it gave me the confidence and in many ways a better understanding of what acting is all about.
Don’t you find it difficult playing the role of a playwright, director and actor all at one time?
No…no, I have never written. I can’t write. But I have directed children many years ago. But now I am older, wiser and cynical and so I will never direct again.
What made you back-out completely from Bollywood and concentrate solely on Theatre?
I never got into Bollywood and it was not called Bollywood in those days either. Frankly I never wanted to be in Hindi commercial film. When I wanted to act I was really confused as to where I wanted to act, as in India or England and then language was also a problem. And Ketan then had made some very interesting films so I went up to him and said I want to work with you and if you I have a role for somebody like me then please do think of me. Then 2 years later, he did and it was crossover film. Hero Hiralal was a crossover between parallel and main-stream and perhaps a bit before its time.
So you think it would have worked had it been released now?
I don’t know, maybe. See cinema has changed so much and things have changed in the country now. And at that time there was nothing else to do, I got couple of offers from Hindi commercial cinema and there was no thinking twice about it and for me it was complete different culture which I was not prepared to indulge in.
I mean there were times when I hated my father’s films and I use to ask my mum why he does such types to which she clearly explained to me that when he did start out it was very different. In the 60s and early 70s films were different, an actor’s involvement was different and it all gradually changed. I guess for many like me, the first thing that comes to mind when we think about Theatre or Stage plays is a tiny little block in Juhu, very close to the beach and ever so filled with vibrant atmosphere - Yes, I am talking about Prithvi Theatre.
Prithvi holds many fond memories for me, starting from my college days. Since it is just a couple of blocks from home, I use to practically end up there every second day either enjoying some electrifying performances or simply making conversations with friends over a cup of coffee.

There is no denying the fact that Prithvi has been solely responsible for presenting the Hindi Film Industry with some of the best talents the nation has ever seen. Actors/writers like Kay Kay Menon, Anurag Kashyap, Naseeruddin Shah, etc. consider the experience gained as a theatre artist and the time spent at Prithvi to be the main reason for their success today.
So for me get a one-on-one conversation with the woman standing behind this Powerhouse platform and one of the most appreciated form of entertainment - was much more than a dream come true.
Ladies and Gentlemen, I present to you Sanjana Kapoor.
~~
How did you end-up becoming the sole-handler of Prithvi?
Well it happened every so slowly and ever so insidiously, it was never meant to be. Really, genuinely was never meant to be. Ever since my mother passed away it was Kunal and Firoz who ran the theatre for 8 long years. And I was in and out of the country, watching from the sidelines and at times participating as a volunteer during festivals. And there were super festivals at that time. I always had this burning, indescribable desire to just connect and to somewhere know that perhaps there was something of my mother lingering inside of me. But I was hugely terrified of entering into anything at Prithvi, just the hugeness of responsibility and lack of experience in my life.
I came on board about 16 years ago very very gradually. I had time on my hand and I said to the trustees i.e. my brother and father, I am going to just see what’s going on and in what way I can fit myself in. So they did give me a long rope, as long as I was going to raise my own money. There were not going to give me a penny which was fine with me. I watched shows for one year and I realized that the most problematic area was the complete disconnect between our vision and what was actually going on here. The quality of theatre was a complete abysmal and so was the audience. There were paan-thuks on the wall, they were talking back to the actors in an incredibly surprising way almost as if they were watching television in their homes.
So I jotted down a 5 point plan then. I set about to start a children’s work-shop and so we started children’s program for summer, it’s been going for 15 years now. Then we started the Art Gallery, actually re-started the Art Gallery. Initially it was run by my mother and her friends. Then we had brunches under the bamboo in the cafe during openings, very relaxing and informal. We wanted to breathe a new life into the cafe because it is an integral part of Prithvi. Later we started our own production company called Prithvi Players and Little Prithvi Players. It happens occasionally, nothing on regular bases only when needed we come out with our own productions.
And the un-realized 5th point of the plan was a library. We had collected over 1000 books, they came mostly thru donations and connected to theatre. But we didn’t have a place to display them on. And sadly, the floods in 2005 destroyed quite a lot of them since they were kept in the basement. But now we are seriously thinking about it and should set up a library and a resource center very soon.
So it all happened real slow and I just started with these tiny little things. For me everything was learning on the job and I think it went quite well.
How much theatre in general and Prithvi theatre in particular contributed to your understanding of acting?
Ha! Well I don’t think I even understand it now. Appreciation of acting, well it could be mixture between being taken to England every year as a child and seeing work there. And I was taken to everything were my parents went to be it films, theatre or opera. And like wise here, I remember as a 10 year old sleeping the backseat after a long night at the theatre.
Just the other day my brother Kunal was telling me that our mum had such a reverence towards education that even during his ICSC exams she took him to a Vilayat Khan concert. I just love her for that because she knew it was as important, there was just no question of missing a Vilayat Khan concert. So that was the background we came from and it came as a rude shock to me when finally I did act in a film and it was like I had no idea how to work or act. Having been exposed to all this but then having no training as an actress and no experience. Plus having a director who was not necessarily good in getting it out. I mean Ketan is more of a vision man rather than an actor’s director so then I went to a drama school in New York which was an incredible experience. The process was just a year but it gave me the confidence and in many ways a better understanding of what acting is all about.
Don’t you find it difficult playing the role of a playwright, director and actor all at one time?
No…no, I have never written. I can’t write. But I have directed children many years ago. But now I am older, wiser and cynical and so I will never direct again.
What made you back-out completely from Bollywood and concentrate solely on Theatre?
I never got into Bollywood and it was not called Bollywood in those days either. Frankly I never wanted to be in Hindi commercial film. When I wanted to act I was really confused as to where I wanted to act, as in India or England and then language was also a problem. And Ketan then had made some very interesting films so I went up to him and said I want to work with you and if you I have a role for somebody like me then please do think of me. Then 2 years later, he did and it was crossover film. Hero Hiralal was a crossover between parallel and main-stream and perhaps a bit before its time.
So you think it would have worked had it been released now?
I don’t know, maybe. See cinema has changed so much and things have changed in the country now. And at that time there was nothing else to do, I got couple of offers from Hindi commercial cinema and there was no thinking twice about it and for me it was complete different culture which I was not prepared to indulge in.
I mean there were times when I hated my father’s films and I use to ask my mum why he does such types to which she clearly explained to me that when he did start out it was very different. In the 60s and early 70s films were different, an actor’s involvement was different and it all gradually changed. Despite of fearsome competition from Bollywood and Cable Channels, what do you think make Prithvi still sustain its popularity?
I don’t think it’s only Prithvi but theatre itself. I mean nothing can beat this live-interaction we have, I mean no television, cinema or any other media for that matter can grab you in the intimate active way and the exchange that takes place. And I think this is the reason why theatre will always survive the on-slaughter but the only thing in theatre always has to be on its toes and re-discover itself and its own role. Now with the advancement in technology we should try incorporate that in theatre but sadly we don’t try such things in this country.
What’s your stance on Indian theatre’s current scenario?
Well I don’t I think I can say on something as vast as that but I could talk more specifically to Mumbai. Even though over the last three years we have actively gone out and created a more dynamic network. We are trying to build link with people who are doing interesting bit across the country and there are amazing pockets of work happening around, like in middle of Karnataka, in Manipur and many other small towns. It’s just that they are not taking place in big metros so therefore they lack this glitz and glamour around them.
I think most importantly we need more homes for theatre. I mean its shocking shame that even after 28 years of Prithvi there is no other place like Prithvi. There are just no more Prithvis in this country or even in this city. There is just one Rang Shankara that was built two years ago again thanks to madness of one woman. But it’s sad that there are no more such mad people around who are ready to put in their sweat and blood in something they love and other people backing them with financial support and breathe life into something so creative and beautiful.
But don’t you think such festivals are making theatre a rather corporatized affair?
Yes, I would say now there are becoming a fad. When we started in 1983, we had our first festival and there were hardly any regular festivals on national level happening around that time. For us it was clearly about celebrating 5 years of our existence and the fact that we had developed a bit of an audience and were focused on few groups so we just pulled them all together and went about with our celebration.
And then we decided to do it annually with the pick of the best productions. What we were constantly trying to do is ask ourselves that why we have our festivals and whether it really makes sense to anybody’s life and sometimes we do really wish to take a pause and not do one in a particular year but then getting back to the question it is a bit of a corporate pulp. Such acts are the reason why they connect to us and in return they get the gains on their investments. And thankfully we have been very lucky with Hutch. But yes it is a bit of pressure to do festivals each year especially when there are others things we would like to concentrate on.
Many well-known actors & directors acknowledge and owe their success to their struggling days spent at Prithvi, how does this make you feel?
Well it is good to hear them speak such kind words but I would rather see them act on them. As in my family always believed in giving back whatever we have gained from theatre so it would be really good to see these very people doing the same and paying up their dues.
Where would you like to see Prithvi Theatre couple of years from now?
Hopefully we will still be around and doing what we do best that is entertaining our audiences.
~~
From the hour that I spent with Sanjana, her most striking feature I would say is her simplicity - Dressed in plain salwar suit, lack of colored gloss on her face and armed with an ordinary looking dairy. I admire “such” qualities as it only shows how comfortable they are within their own skin and don’t feel the need to prove themselves to the world. Hailing from one of the biggest and most influential families in Bollywood, Sanjana too could have chosen to take the easier path by simply using her surname and bagging many films under her belt; afterall haven’t we seen star kids making most of their parent’s achievements rather than their own.
But unlike others, she decided to follow her heart - Prithvi Theatre. And believe me there are many who would thank her for a life-time for making that choice.