The Hindu : New Delhi News : Her heart beats for theatre

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Monday, Nov 27, 2006
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New Delhi

Her heart beats for theatre

Sanjna Kapoor, granddaughter of Prithviraj Kapoor, who manages the famous Prithvi Theatres, has a burning passion for the stage, says Mandira Nayar

It has been a lonesome battle for Sanjna Kapoor, the face of perhaps the country's most famous playhouse - Prithvi Theatres. While Prithvi -- hidden in a lane in Mumbai -- may be synonymous with good theatre, but as they say it is lonely at the top. Far from enjoying the luxury of being on top of the heap, Sanjna wants to be part of the maddening crowd of theatres.

"Prithvi was meant to be a workshop place and not take on this huge scale that it has. It is a huge struggle, a lonesome one and is tough. There should have been 20 more Prithvis in Mumbai and 200 across the country. In Bangalore there is a theatre that has been inspired by Prithvi, but it is a fledgling one,'' says Sanjna who was here in the Capital over the weekend for the Prithvi Theatre festival "Kala Desh Ki Seva Mein'' being held to mark the birth centenary of Prithviraj Kapoor.

Echoing the thoughts of her grandfather Prithviraj Kapoor decades later, while his dream of finding Prithvi Theatres a "home'' has been fulfilled, unlike the name, the theatre is still the only one.

And finding the balance of trying to keep groups alive -- its mission -- creating an audience and presenting meaningful theatre is not easy. A struggle to keep afloat even for Prithvi that has managed to get some corporate backing, there is a need for funding for theatre to keep alive.

"We are 28 and we don't have any money in the bank. It is tough. Theatre is not just about seeing, being seen and leaving. It is more than that. We haven't been able to say that we can use this money for our corpus. And we will need to start doing that to survive,'' she says.

Going beyond just limiting themselves to staging plays, Prithvi Theatres is really about celebrating the whole spirit of performing in every form. From taking out a "jaloos'' to touch the lives of ordinary people on the street to "tickle'' their curiosity about plays, to holding free shows at a park in the heart of Mumbai and even creating an "adda'', it is all for the love of "kala''.

"We want to make Kamani Auditorium, where we will have our shows, an `adda'. That is one thing we miss in Delhi. Last time we tried to do it by putting in a bookshop and it really changed the place. There will be platform performances and food stalls. We want people to just hang out there, they don't have to spend money and buy a ticket. But we'd like them to,'' she says with a smile.

Growing up in perhaps India's first family of performers, it is not surprising Sanjna did choose to be part of the world of acting. She may not be on stage, but she is the life behind it. And inheriting theatre from both sides, there was really no other option.

"I was nine when my mother used to drag me to the Prithvi Theatres site when it was being built. I was very surprised when I read a letter by my mother to my aunt in her book "White Cargo''. She said Shashi has gone mad, he wants to build a theatre. I didn't realise it was his idea and she had nothing to do with it, before he plonked it on her saying you do it,'' she says.

With dreams of travelling around in a bus full of performers, she has had to settle for being rooted.

"Geoffrey Kendal is my hero, has always been. I was 16 when I realised that all that I wanted to do, be a part of a travelling theatre company, didn't exist anymore. The closest I came to my dream was with Footsbarn when we travelled around the country. Taking over managing Prithvi happened gradually. I don't understand this burning passion that I have for Prithvi. I don't know where it comes from. I have no experience in acting or performing and there is this overwhelming feeling of responsibility,'' she says.

And going strong with burning passion and responsibility, she will hopefully soon not be alone.

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