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Shekhar Sen is a multi talented artist who is an actor, singer, director and writer. His plays Kabeer, Tulsi and Vivekanand have recieved rare reviews. He has also composed music for many TV serials like "Shiv Mahapuran" "Geeta Rahasya", "Parivaar",and "Dhadkan". Shekhar Sen made his stage debut when he was only Two and a half years old. In an interview, Shekhar Sen talks about his passion for music and singing and he reflects on the itensity and spirituality of his subjects.
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- by Purva Desai
By depicting the life story and moments of great historical figures like Kabeer, Tulsi and Vivekanand, you are reviving Indian history. Do you do this consciously in order to tell audiences something?
Yes, there is a conscious effort involved. I always believe that if we take lessons and inspiration from our legends, we benefit. All three characters are normal human beings. But their deeds are legendary. I believe that if we do good things, we can make a special place for ourselves. We should all take lessons and learn.
By representing Indian culture, what new horizons are you searching for?
I feel I am a true representative of my culture and aspire to represent our culture as it is.
A lot of research has gone into your plays �Kabeer� �Vivekanand� and �Tulsi�. You have also written and directed Tulsi and Kabeer. How difficult was it to do all three simultaneously?
Research is always there. Vivekanand was a very difficult subject to research. He died at the age of 39. The kind of work he did was very vast. It could not be done in just 2 hours. My script of Vivekanand was four hours long. I had to mercilessly edit it. My first play Tulsi was two hours twenty minutes. I had to edit 20 minutes. However, it was easy researching Tulsi because he was very easy to write about and he influenced me greatly. Even Kabeer was comparatively easier. But for Vivekanand, I researched a lot. I read 72 books before I decided on my material. In the case of Tulsi, I read only 2-4 books. Vivekanand was a very well known Saint. There were several controversies involved in the case of Vivekanand. Atleast 1000 people in every city know who Vivekand is. Everyone has different opinions, suggestions and comments. Moreover, there is so much material easily available on Vivekanand that it becomes difficult to choose. After each show, people make different suggestions, so it�s not that simple. I want to reach out to wider audiences. Even an eight year old watching my play should not get bored. There is definitely a gap between writing and directing. However, as a writer and director, I know what I want. When I am imbibing a song, I compose it in a certain way. I know what scene will follow next, what emotion has to be put in a particular scene. Vivekanand has 32 songs and they are all very different. There are three classical songs, 3 bhajans, and 2 songs in western melody. Vivekanand was a very grasping person. When he was in America, he was interested in western music and therefore, I have imbibed western melodies in my play.
Any New plays? Are they going to be musicals based on historical characters?
No, no new plays as of now. My plays are very different. It is a very long process. I do everything from dialogues, to music, to rehearsals to research. My plays have to be well rehearsed; otherwise there is no point in doing them. But yes, I do intent on musicals. Music is language for my plays.
Are you influenced by anyone particularly when it comes to drama and music?
I have always had faith in all human beings. Each human being is very gifted. We just don�t use our talents. I take inspiration from al. any person who sticks to truth inspires me. I am a normal human being. I try to portray my characters with a lot of belief.
Your subjects are very intense and philosophical. If one might say, your subjects reflect the kind of person you are. Comment.
I believe in the philosophy of my subjects, and try and portray them as they are. The mental exercise is always on. Homework is always on. I am a spiritual person, and I am philosophical, otherwise I would not do the plays that I am doing. Spirituality is the main content for all my plays. The characters in all three plays are spiritual. I have been singing bhajans for so many years. My work reflects my spirituality.
You love singing and you have also pursued your music career. Your stage debut as an actor was when you were only 2 and a half years old. After that, you hadn�t thought of acting for thirty-two years. Why the sudden plunge into acting after such a long gap?
An artist is an artist, singer, musician, a painter and a composer. When you sing you act. For e.g. Lata Mangeshkar has sung a song where she has to sound like a six year old. She is also acting, because it is not easy to adapt to the voice of a six year old. Acting comes automatically. Every singer is an actor. Music, acting and instrumentalization go together. Everyone person is an actor. You are different with different people. You never say the same dialogue to every person you meet. Therefore, you automatically become an actor.
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