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Zafar Karachiwala is one amongst the better known actors working on the Indian English Stage. According to him �Acting is the Truth�. Zafar is articulate as he talks about accents, movement, dialogues, histrionics- the stuff that theatre is made of and his perfect day is one that challenges him to bring out his best as an actor. Zafar will be seen in NOISES OFF, which has been directed by Nadir Khan. The play premieres on 20th July 2008.
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Jigna Padhiar
For as long as you can remember did you always want to do theatre?
I was in college when a friend of mine pushed my name for a play. I auditioned and got selected. Some of my early plays were THUMBALINA, HAMLET and SOS. People came to know of my work and approached me. Rooky Dadachanji, Rahul Da Cunha, Lilette Dubey, Vikram Kapadia saw my plays and picked me up for their productions. I was a follower of Lilette Dubey�s plays and liked Hima Devi�s plays from my early days in the theatre.
How did you work yourself into professional theatre? Did you undergo any kind of training?
In terms of training most of it happened on the job. But I did participate in workshops. I attended an Acting and Improvisation workshop by Tim Supple and Nick Coehn, a Voice Production workshop by Andrew Wade and a Play Writing workshop by Phyllida Lloyd. I participated in workshops conducted by Chingari and learnt a lot. I was part of the last two �Writers Bloc� plays. Otherwise learning happens by watching other actors on stage.
So who are the actors you like to watch?
Shernaz Patel, Rajit Kapoor, Vinay Pathak, Atul Kumar and Sheeba Chadha are my favourite actors.
On what basis do you choose to play a particular role?
(Laughs). When one begins in the theatre one does not think about the role, the kind of character, how many dialogues the character has or of how much footage he is going to get on stage or things like that. For a young person like me it was like getting a chance to work on stage, which in itself is a great experience. In HAMLET for instance I did three really small parts. Earlier it was more about showing off to people what I really was all about but now I would say I look at the script first.
So it all depends on the script today?
Let�s say I first try to read the script as an unbiased spectator; then I understand the character and if it challenges me as an actor I meet the director. But it doesn�t matter to me if the director is established or not. If I feel that playing the character is going to give me more as an actor then I do it. Take the play BONE, which was a low budget, first-time director play. But it gave me immense satisfaction. I liked the ideas of the director and so I did it.
How do you approach a character?
Sometimes a character has to be advanced to through a method; otherwise I approach every character differently in different ways as long as I can move away from being Zafar. I start from being Zafar and then I find the other character. There is a shift, and it�s lovely when an emotional shift happens in the process. Often new actors think that they have to be someone else from the very first day of the rehearsal. It happens gradually and I do not subscribe to any particular school of thought.
For me being true to a character is the most important. I begin by being me, I am me for quite some time; then comes a stage where I am in between myself and the character and then suddenly I realize the shift that is taking place. Then I develop the character sometimes by method and sometimes by experience.
The favourite characters that you have played to date?
My top three favourite characters would be the ones in ACTS OF FAITH, GOING SOLO and in BONE. I play all characters with equal zeal but these three gave me personal satisfaction as an actor.
I did ACTS OF FAITH ten years back when the subject was new and off-beat for the time. I played the character called Ahmed, a terrorist who hijacks a plane. It was one of the most difficult characters I have ever done. I had to learn Arabic, research on terrorism, understand terrorism, the body language that a terrorist may have. It was a strong and dense character who goes through a shift of beliefs in the play.
In BONE I played a character called Stephen. He was a guy who goes through a lot of emotional shifts in the entire play. The character is grounded in the kind of reality that I relate to. I wanted to do the play because I knew what was happening to Stephen. BONE has a wonderful script. The playwright John Donelly takes one to the core- at an emotional level, very intense and depressing at times.
Having worked with many well-known names in the Mumbai theatre circuit, what have you learnt from them?
A lot of people have taught me a lot of things but I owe a fair bit to Vikram Kapadia. Most of what I know today are things that I have learnt from him. He taught me the fundamentals of theatre like how to approach a script, how to give respect to what a writer has written (which unfortunately most of us do not do because there is so much of improvisation happening during the show). One can�t muck around with what a writer has written. Working with him on ROMEO AND JULIET was one of the best experiences I have had. He taught me that there is a reason for each comma and full stop in a script.
Rahul Da Cunha taught me how not to approach any play with a fixed character in mind. I remember when I was doing GOING SOLO. To approach the role of Younus Khan with comedy is easy but this comedy is of a different kind; it is something where the character actually believes he is the 4th Khan of Bollywood. There is something tragic about it and true comedy comes from tragedy. I had the character of Aamir Khan from the film Ghulam in my mind. But Rahul told me �Lets start with Zafar. Lets see what Zafar does�.�
Lilette Dubey taught me how to use thought on stage. One should not do a play automatically since one has been rehearsing the play or has already done several shows. Each time a play is performed it should be like the first time for the actors. Sometimes we do the same play a 100 times and so we know what�s coming. But to be able to listen to the dialogues and not just hear them comes through thinking, which I learnt from her.
How do you practice and perfect your art? How do you discipline yourself?
Other than what I do at rehearsals I don�t do much of rehearsing at home because I also manage my family business. I practice in my car. I work out and do yoga for body awareness. Theatre is as much about movement as it is about delivering dialogues. One has to be comfortable with one�s body. One reasone why I would want to see Girish Karnad�s FLOWERS again is because of Rajit Kapoor�s acting. Punctuality at rehearsals goes without saying. And in terms of doing homework I prepare myself with questions that I need to ask the director the next day. I like to experiment a lot.
Have you ever felt like a cog in a play because of the director?
The Director is God for me and I give myself completely to the director. I do experiment and if the director does not like me doing something in a particular manner I do it his/her way.
How do you memorize your dialogues?
I am very bad at learning my lines. I learn my dialogues while rehearsing and I often tell my directors, �don�t expect me to come to rehearsals with dialogues learnt. That�s not going to happen�.
What is your definition of Acting?
For me Acting is being. Acting is being true or living out the truth of the character through words or silence. Acting is not about trying; it is about being and that takes a long time to figure out. A good actor is one who is able to portray the silence of a character. Dialogues are not always important for a good actor.
How do you deal with the issue of accents in Indian English theatre?
Accent is the first thing I discover when I start rehearsing. Initially I prefer to talk the way I talk. A character may demand an accent. Body language is equally important.
Any tough phase that you went through while doing theatre? What was it like to return to the stage after doing films?
It was difficult for me to get back to acting on stage. I found myself being an introvert on stage for about a year. I had this funda that less is more so I started doing less even on stage. All the characters started being the same and all dialogues started sounding the same. I really worked on going back to the theatre.
What do you feel about Mumbai�s theatre scene?
I think the early 90�s were a bad time for English theatre. After that people like Rahul Da Cunha, Vikram Kapadia, Lilette Dubey, Girish Karnad amongst others started writing and doing theatre about us, theatre about Bombay, about you and I and that�s when the audience started spending money watching a play rather than a film. By the late 90�s this shift was visible. Gradually it has become theatre for all and not only for a select audience. For example during any show of CLASS OF 84 I see so many college students in the audience today.
Something you think will shake things up for theatre in Mumbai?
Mumbai really needs new actors and more young people doing theatre- those who would want to understand what theatre is all about.
Some argue that well-known names in the cast pull more crowds...
Not so in English theatre at least. Unless it is a commercial play or a comedy play made to attract audiences. Otherwise a play draws crowds through word of mouth.
What happens when Zafar goes to see a play?
It is very difficult for me to watch a play because I always tend to get over critical about most aspects of the play be it acting, sets, costumes or lighting. I always end up thinking that if it was me I would have done it in a different manner. And any actor who watches a play and says he would have done the same as the actor on stage is definitely lying. Unfortunately there are no theatre critics in India, which is sad and so actors have to do the critics� job themselves.
What are your theatre workshops like?
I have different workshops for different people. There are workshops for students, corporates and others. There are different exercises to get people to work in a group and individually. Some exercises are as simple as throwing an imaginary ball. Then I change situations. How would a person throw a ball that is hot? I start with exercises and then choose one according to the people I am training.
The Dictaphone goes off.
(Shhhh... It�s NOISES OFF, his new play).
*Jigna Padhiar is a freelance journalist. Theatre and Contemporary Visual Arts interest her. She writes regularly on art and theatre for news publications in Mumbai. She has a degree in Art History and Criticism from the MS University in Baroda.
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