Metro Plus
Bangalore
Chennai
Coimbatore
Hyderabad
Madurai
Tiruchirapalli
All for the stage
|
Theatre meant old men with maces for props thought Shrunga till recently. Now, he tells CATHERINE RHEA ROY that he can't think of a life without it
|
PHOTO: SAMPATH KUMAR G.P.
THROWN INTO THEATRE Shrunga: ‘It is very important to have training, but that is not all'
Some people grow up rebelling against college education and middle class parents to pursue their passion. Shrunga on the other hand grew up staring his passion in the face and yet never answered the call till six years ago. “I never imagined theatre could be a career option. In fact, even though my father was involved in theatre it never interested me. Theatre in my head meant old men with maces for props,” said Shrunga, who is a mechanical engineer by education.
The 25-year-old discovered theatre when his father took him to a rehearsal: “The energy in the place and the whole atmosphere just sucked me in and I have never left.” It has been six and a half years now and Shrunga is convinced that his career in theatre was a result of being in the right place at the right time.
“It has been a crazy journey for me. I was part of an impromptu platform production of ‘Tughlaq' at Ranga Shankara and it was then that the director of ‘Gumma Banda Gumma' saw me and was interested in my work,” says Shrunga.
Shrunga has since acted in several plays both in Kannada and in English, he has also done considerable work in television serials as well. “I enjoy doing both, and the experience is so different in both spheres that it is just more challenging for me as an actor. But I cannot choose, it is like one-day cricket and test matches, the formats are different and you want to play both.”
Being deeply involved with Kannada theatre Shrunga says, “There is such a lot of good Kannada theatre, which does not get the same exposure as English theatre does. A lot of our local theatre goes unrecognised due to lack of funds. In fact, the progress Kannada theatre has made can be seen and compared in two distinct phases – before Ranga Shankara and after Ranga Shankara.”
Shrunga is currently working on the Indo-German collaboration “Boy With A Suitcase”. This is his fourth production with Ranga Shankara and he says, “I think I got lucky with this play and of course I had talent on my side as well,” he grins. “The director suggested that I get some formal training and so I worked with playwright Abhishek Majumdar for a while. I also went to Adi Shakti, a theatre research lab in Pondicherry started by Veenapani Chawla. In Adi Shakti they teach you to communicate emotions by placing special focus on your breath,” explains the actor.
In “Boy With A Suitcase”, Ranga Shankara continues its four-year collaboration with Schnawwl Theatre group from Germany. The play has just completed their tour in Germany and is now on its way to performing in the country. With a cast of six people, three Indians and three Germans, Shrunga says that working with the Germans was a revelation. “German theatre is technically far superior from ours, probably for the simple reason that they are sponsored by the State.”
“The script of this play is just so beautiful. And I am so lucky to be able to work with people like M.D. Pallavi and Konark Reddy. The contribution they make is so much more than mine that I'm a little jealous,” he says good-humouredly. He also acknowledges what a big step this is for theatre in the country. “It is a huge step forward, especially for a young actor like me, to get the opportunity to see the world through theatre is amazing. It is collaborations like this that encourage a lot of people to do theatre.
An actor with no formal training until he worked with Abhishek Majumdar and Adi Shakti, Shrunga offers his thoughts about formal training, “It is very important to have training, but that is not all. Life itself is an institute, and what you need to learn is how to channelise it on stage.”
Shrunga has already started expanding his wings within theatre. “I just translated a Hindi radio play into Kannada for an NGO. This is my first venture into script writing. But I will not stick to just one field. I will take every opportunity I get, be it in television, movies or theatre. I want to be free to do anything and as long as I am part of a good story that touches people it does not make a difference to me.”
Shrunga will be performing in “Boy with a suitcase” that will open its India rounds at Ranga Shankara on June 17, 7.30 p.m.
Printer friendly
page
Send this article to Friends by
E-Mail
Metro Plus
Bangalore
Chennai
Coimbatore
Hyderabad
Madurai
Tiruchirapalli
|
