Talktime | Aahana Kumra
After her critically-acclaimed performance in lipstick Under My Burkha, Kamra is busy with her theatre play The Father with Naseeruddin Shah. She talks to Sangeeta Yadav about it and how her movie brought a revolution in Bollywood and in the society worldwide
Tell us about your stage play, The FatherIJ
It’s a very hard-hitting play about a father, played by Naseeruddin Shah, who suffers from Alzheimer’s and imagines a lot of things in life. I play different characters in his life like that of a daughter, caretaker, nurse, etc but all in his imagination. He never gets to know the truth about certain things in life. For the first time in India, we are having a Broadway type of show for 30 days in a row, starting from November 21 to December 17, after month-long rehearsals at the Prithvi Theatre in Mumbai.
How has life changed after lipstick Under My BurkhaIJ
I have become more aware of the kind of work I want to do and which directors I would like to work with. I have realised that the choices we make matter and can make a lot of difference in other people’s life. After travelling with this film in Japan, the US and Australia, I feel I have become more open-minded and far more accepting of myself and other people than I was earlier.
When you signed the movie, did you think that it will become such a hit and would be actually bannedIJ
When I read the script, I just found it very interesting and never thought that it would trigger a movement after being banned by the Censor Board. After its release, it got some amazing responses from a lot of people and very well received at the international film festivals too. Those who didn’t support the ideology and couldn’t accept the bitter reality were the ones who wanted it to be banned. This movie has left a lot of people questioning patriarchal norms. One should not run away from reality. If a ban is put on you restricting you from coming out, that’s because people fear and don’t want others to know about your thoughts. We are a free democracy but not free in the actual sense.
The movie raised many issues...
It brought patriarchy into focus and liberated women to come out, talk about issues and take a stand. Women are still struggling in every strata of society be it GST on sanitary napkins, jobs, pay structure or marital rape. In movies, we see a 60-year-old man falling for a 25-year-old girl but if a 60-year-old woman falls for a young guy, we think her to be characterless. It made us question mores we are brought up with and conditioned to.
People have started recognising you now more than when you were doing Yudh TV show, theatre and web series…
Yes, but I feel I have a long way to go. The industry is now accepting theatre artists more than the ones who just look good after wearing make-up. Earlier, when I used to go for auditions, people used to tell me that I have unconventional looks. I am not the typical Indian looking girl or a typical Bollywood category girl. It left me wondering what these typical Bollywood categories were and who defines them. I like to be known for the kind of work I do and not for my looks. Being a theatre artist for 14 years, I like to do real work and wearing make-up is not the biggest criterion of my work. I feel the trend of having a look of a certain way is not working at the box office nowadays. People like to see a film which has a realistic touch to it.
Is this the reason why a lot of threatre artists are being accepted in Bollywood nowIJ
Yes! Directors are now open to hiring good theatre actors, be it for films, TV shows or web series. It takes time to beat the norms of casting make-up clad actors rather than the ones who can de-glam and take-up any challenge. I am happy that the change is happening gradually. Theatre’s reach is very small and real success comes when you as an artist work on your language and craft. You have to work on all the nuances as that equips you better as an actor.
One thing you would like to see a change in theatre.
More finances should come to theatre. There are a couple of theatre production houses that are operating individually and so many are struggling to survive. Some artists don’t get paid for shows. Be it for viewers and artists, what you stage, no other field can. Stage has the great power to instigate your mind and people remember a good play forever. It stays with them all their life. If theatre is financed adequately, it can become a big career avenue for the actors.