Hemant Jha is a veteran of Gujarati stage and films. After having debuted in 1975 with a play called KARTA JAAL KAROLIYO he went on to act in plays like AJATSHATRU, PRIYAJAN, HAVE TO LILA LEHER CHE, JANMDAATA, DHARMAYUDHA, BAAJIGAR, NAQAB, NONDHPOTHI, MANIBEN DOT COM, HEEM PANKHI amongst several others. Hemant has also been seen on the big screen both in Hindi and Gujarati films. He is not only a known face on stage and the big screen but also in the courts of law as he is a practicing lawyer.  By Jahnavi Pal How does it feel to be back on the stage after a long lull? It feels wonderful and I am thrilled to be doing what I enjoy most which is acting. After the compulsory vacation that we were all subjected to this is indeed a much needed outing. To experience the warmth of the audiences and enjoy the bonding between the spectators and the actors is every actor's dream. I am so happy to be back. What is your role in this play SAGPAN TANE SAALMUBARAK? I play the father's role in SAGPAN and my wife is a retired judge. We have a son who undergoes a sea change in his career due to unforeseen reasons and this causes some turbulence in our lives. In everybody's life there is a villain and so it is in our lives. The twists and turns that follow make the play a good watch. Having been on the stage for so many years can you define any of your favourite characters? Let me be honest, I know my limitations and with the blessings of the Almighty I have continued to get good work over the years. I enjoy each and every role that comes my way. When I play any role it's like a different person enters my being and I portray that character. One becomes a new person. You use a different body language, speak differently and portray someone you are not. This is a thrilling experience and hence I have enjoyed every role that I have done so far. Is the audience wary of coming to auditoriums post the pandemic? I do see a slight hesitancy and feel that everybody is taking a few initial precautions. They are keen to return to the theatres but one can sense a hidden fear. But I am sure that slowly they will return in large numbers. After every show they have come and met me backstage and told me how much they missed live theatre. So I am convinced it's a matter of time and we will soon see full houses. You have done many comedy plays. Do you think that is the flavour of the season? I do believe that Gujarati audiences prefer comedies. In fact even when something serious has to be conveyed and if done in a light manner it is received well by the audience. This is the reason most producers don't want to risk any other genre. What is your next offering? Currently my focus is on this play. I am in talks with a few producers and am looking ahead at soon doing another good play. *Jahnavi Pal is a journalist, writer and theatre buff read / post your comments More Interviews Ram Ganesh Kamatham Tannaz Irani Lillete Dubey Sharodiya Chowdhury and Sarthak Sharma Interview With Vishaal Asrani and Jiji Subhi BAKUL THAKKAR AND SURYA GOVLE Devendra Rao Interview Sharvari Lohokare Interview Vijay Kenkre Interview Trupti Thakkar and Ankit Gor Interview Aditya Rawal and Zahan Kapoor Umesh Shukla Interview Interview With Juhi Babbar Soni Mallika Shah Interview J BRANDON HILL INTERVIEW Anahita Uberoi Interview Interview with Jeff Goldberg Dr. Shweta Pendse Interview Interview with jamini Pathak Ashok Pandey Gagan Dev Riar Interview Taranjit Kaur Pankaj Pathakji Interview Vipul Vithlani Interview Saurabh Nayyar Interview Mukta Barve Interview Vihaan Samat Interview Vijay Kumar Interview Umesh Kamat Interview Jatin Sarna Interview Debanshu Shekhar Interview Vandana Bhushan Interview Vikas Bahari Interview Trinetra Tiwari Interview Anand Ingale Interview Deshik Vansadia Interview Kapil Dev Interview Arvind Gaur Interview Niketan Sharma Interview Ipshita Chakraborty Singh Interview Ramesh Talwar Interview Nivedita Bhattacharya Interview Jeff Goldberg Interview Ajeet Singh Palawat Interview Amitosh Nagpal Interview Ajitesh Gupta Anshulika Dubey and Aakash Prabhakar Ulka Mayur Shiv Tandan Interview Hemant Jha Interview Sangita Joshi Interview Akarsh khurana Interview with Parul Rana Satchit Puranik Interview Raell Padamsee Interview Simar Singh Interview Siddharth Randeria Interview Chandrakant Kulkarni Interview Trishla Patel Interview Danish Husain Interview Anju Makhija Interview Swati Das Interview Paromita Chatterjee Interview Akriti Singh Interview Vivek Raj Tandon Interview Avneesh Mishra Interview Imran Rasheed Interview Choiti Ghosh Interview Ila Arun & KK Raina Juuhi Babbar Sonii Interview Jay Upadhyay Interview Bhakti Rathod Interview Chandrashekhar Gokhale Interview Preeta Mathur Interview Denzil Smith Interview Rajendra Butala Interview Amitesh Grover Interview Vighnesh Joshi Interview Rajesh Deshpande Interview Mohammad Ali Baig Interview Dolly Thakore Interview M. 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