Sudhir Bhat : A vivacious theatrewallah

Professional Marathi theatre is becoming more and more money-minded. This is because of the commercialised approach adapted by its theatre producers. The mantra is: box office reigns. Idealism and concepts such as passion for theatre, aesthetics and artistic perspectives, yearning for creativity have become part of the fashionable cliches to be mouthed from a podium. In reality, the main objective of all producers is to explore the best possible way to make money.

Most of the chatter among the theatre fraternity is about how Sudhir Bhat (of Suyog) was responsible for introducing this trend in the theatre. This accusation is not totally baseless. Still, one cannot overlook the fact that Sudhir Bhat also took a keen interest to initiate good practices in the stage business. He started providing the artists/actors with professional fees and amenities and facilities.

Due to a feudal structure, the backstage workers were being exploited like bondsmen. It was Sudhir Bhat who started to treat them humanely. Credit is due to Bhat for purchasing insurance policies for them to ensure their future. It was Sudhir Bhat who would generously help any worker in need, without even expecting repayment. Sadly, it is another story that many people took undue advantage of his generosity. But Sudhir Bhat was never deterred by that.

Bhat''s main profession was interior decoration, but his passion was theatre. This man had unlimited energy and an inner urge to try something new, constantly. Adventure was his sthayi bhaava - a permanent state of mind. That is how he ventured out to present Marathi theatre productions across continents - in America, Europe, the Middle East, Singapore, Hongkong and even in Israel. The word impossible did not exist in his dictionary.

Many of his productions faced major losses, but he didn''t take the beating, lying down. Each defeat gave him courage to take a solid step forward. The world of theatre is marred with uncertainty. One might succeed in sourcing 67 actors on stage to present a play, but it is indeed a tightrope walk to present around 500 or 1000 performances of such a play, which comprises such a huge and diverse cast.

Sudhir Bhat did this. He proved his mettle seven to eight times by successfully bringing together a number of finicky and high profile actors. Out of the 80 plays that he produced, eight plays had more than 1000 performances. During his extensive theatre journey spanning 28 years he collected a lot of good as well as troubled experiences through his interaction with theatre artistes.

He used to narrate these mind-blowing encounters in a colourful language. "If I published these, half the theatre world would be after my blood", he used to joke. Had he actually penned these stories, it would have unmasked many actors and revealed their true faces. On the other hand, Bhat never minced words to offer an honest account of the generous nature of actors such as Vijay Chavan, Dr Shreeram Lagoo, Dilip Prabhavalkar and Prashant Damle.

Sudhir Bhat was a foodie and a gourmet. He was always keen to offer good food to friends and colleagues. During foreign tours, one used to wonder whether he was a producer or a caterer! He used to look after the actors with a lot of warmth and care. In foreign countries, the plays can be organised only on weekends - and so, Bhat, the producer would never hesitate to take his artistes on a sightseeing trip during the weekdays. His life mantra was - eat, drink and be merry. His only grievance was that many artistes, who rose to fame through his productions, never acknowledged it.

Sudhir Bhat always spoke his mind. His style was rather rustic, yet utterly refreshing and at times, scandalous. He never shied away from stating a candid opinion, without giving a thought to the possible discomfort of those listening to it.

Though a tad headstrong, Sudhir Bhat was timid in some respects, even scared of a few things. For instance, even though Bhat was suffering from a heart problem for the last few years, he kept avoiding a bypass surgery. Finally, the inevitable happened - death caught him unawares - signalling that an era of passion for the theatre has come to an end.

*Ravindra Pathare is a Senior Assistant Editor and Drama Critic with Loksatta, one of the leading Marathi newspapers . An edited version of this article originally appeared in Loksatta on Monday, November 18, 2013. It has been translated by Jayashree Hari Joshi. Jayashree works with the Goethe Institut/Max Mueller Bhavan Mumbai as Officer - Cultural Programmes.