Akarsh Khurana Director, Actor- Akvarious Productions [English and Hindi Theatre ] Which is the last best play you saw? I’ve been watching a fair amount of pretty good plays recently, but the one that has stayed with me from the recent past is HOW TO SKIN A GIRAFFE, directed by Rajiv Krishnan (Perch, Chennai and Rafiki, Bangalore) Your favourite ‘adda’ to see a play Prithvi. Your favourite playwright? This is a tough one. I actually love the work of some of the writers who work with us like Adhir Bhat, Apoorva Kale and Siddharth Kumar. I guess I’m biased towards Indian contemporary voices. From a global perspective, I’m a fan of the work of Hassan Abdulrazzak, Mike Bartlett, Neil LaBute and Tom Stoppard among others. And there isn’t a better story teller than Shakespeare. Your favourite play-character I think I’ll go with Iago from OTHELLO. A play you would like to see filmed. Why? BAGHDAD WEDDING by Hassan Abdulrazzak - It is a fantastic story of relationships against the backdrops of London and war ravaged Iraq. It’s political, emotional, and has the scope to be visually stunning. There is talk of a film version. A novel/short story you would like to see on stage? Why? ‘Jurassic Park’ by Michael Crichton - Because I just want to see how the hell they will pull it off. The most hilarious play you have seen AVENUE Q at the Greenwich Theatre in London - So politically incorrect and side splittingly funny. Play which is over-hyped The musical version of SINGING IN THE RAIN is over hyped. I’m a big fan of the film, so I got front row seats but was rather disappointed. It lacked the warmth. An important play (but ignored) Again, it’s not easy to answer this one. I’m going to go with a recent one. THE OUTSIDER by Gouri Dutt. It takes some courage to try and stage a Camus novel. And it’s interestingly done. It deserves more shows. A play character you would like to “dialogue” with There is the character of a grandfather in INTERNAL AFFAIRS, played to perfection by Hussain Dalal. Him I’d like to spend time with. A passage from an important play that you can recite Probably none. I could do the Mark Antony funeral speech from JULIUS CAESAR once. Not anymore. A classical play that you should have read BACK TO METHUSELAH by Shaw. Pandit Satyadev Dubey recommended it to me on more than one occasion. Someday I will. A play that changed your perception about the theatre There are a few. Motley’s production of WAITING FOR GODOT showed me that I could enjoy an absurd play. Makrand Deshpande’s DHONI DHO DAALTA HAI opened up the world of children’s theatre for me. We have now produced seven plays for kids. ISMAT AAPA KE NAAM taught me lots about prop management. BRIEF ENCOUNTER (based on STILL LIFE by Noel Coward) and 39 STEPS encouraged me to push my actors more. And the design of CHAARSHE KOTI VISARBHOLE by Mohit Takalkar pushed me to think more about the aesthetics of my work. How do you regard the Mumbai theatre scene? It is vibrant and constantly growing. Audiences are increasing too. Theatre has become more accessible here now. It’s not high brow anymore. People come to have a pleasant evening too. This is good. Have you read any interesting books/articles concerning the theatre? Why did you find them interesting? ‘Towards a Poor Theatre’ by Jerzy Grotowski was recommended to me by Naseeruddin Shah. It exposed me to the advantages of minimalistic work. If you have ever been a part of a theatre production/s, can you recall an event that was insightful, significant or simply humorous? The first play I directed after college, BROTHERS, premiered at Thespo 2000. There was a lot of comic violence on stage. At one point a plank of wood is to hit a character’s head after which he passes out. The plank made contact and the actor actually passed out. Later when the other two actors had to lift him, the struggle with the unconscious body was the most realistic it could ever possibly have been. A trickle of blood added to the wow factor. It’s my first significant memory of a stage mishap. And life in the theatre is full of them. Can you think of a foreign production that you found remarkable? Why? I’ve mentioned quite a few in the answers above. In addition, THE LION KING, of course. But even that was overshadowed by a production of Billy Elliott that I saw on West End. It was breathtaking stuff. Your favourite director/actor/music or set designer Virtually it is impossible to answer any of these options. There are too many to choose from. A significant Indian production that you may have witnessed I’m not sure what qualifies as significant. Many plays I’ve seen have seemed so. The most significant one would be WAITING FOR GODOT by Motley I guess. Their original CAINE MUTINY COURT MARITAL. I suppose I’M NOT BAJIRAO would make the cut. Also, TOH MEE NAVHECH, starring Prabhakar Panshikar. Life in the theatre without the humble batata-wada or the cutting chai… or can you recall the best gastronomic experience you’ve had in the precincts of the theatre to date? My theatre journey has been filled with great food. From the cheese sandwich and cold coffee at NCPA to a stunning array of local snacks during a show in Indore, and from memorable buffets during the Hindu Metro Plus Theatre Fest to a delicious yet simple meal during the Vinod Doshi Festival at the Yashwantrao Chavan auditorium in Pune. 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