The Show Must Go On

By Smrithi Komal

Will it survive despite the onslaught from cinema and TV?

Make a mental note of the plays staged in Hyderabad in the recent years and think how many were well attended. Obviously, those that had participation of personalities and television had an edge in drawing the crowds. Whether this is a healthy sign is a topic that's been discussed. But why not try to put things in perspective? Qadir Ali Baig Theatre Foundation did just that.

Celebrating Theatre is a series that the foundation intends to carry forward giving theatre lovers a chance to meet, put forth their views and interact with renowned theatre personalities. The first sessions saw veteran theatre personality and filmmaker M.S. Sathyu, who is also the national director of the theatre foundation, open the debate `Theatre and Cinema: Complementing or Conflicting?'

Sathyu drew from his experience over the last five decades and ably refrained from being preachy on the need for good theatre. Citing the recent example of Aap Ki Soniya, starring Farooque Shaikh and Sonali Bendre, staged in the city, Sathyu felt "there's no harm if people come to see a play to see an actress like Sonali Bendre. In turn, they would also witness theatre." Nevertheless, he highlighted the truth that very few actors straddle the diverse worlds of theatre and cinema. "Naseeruddin Shah is an example. But most others who moved to cinema have not continued to pursue theatre. The National School of Drama spends at least a few lakh rupees training each of its students. It's deplorable that most use NSD as a stepping stone to television and cinema," he said. Despite this, Sathyu feels that theatre will continue to thrive. "The reading habit hasn't died down due to television and cinema, and this is true for theatre too."

Is theatre being relegated to five-star hotels and an elite audience? Rather than elite, Sathyu asserts that theatre has a `limited' audience. And five-star venues are a recent development. "Theatre groups that perform at Prithivi in Mumbai have no added frills. Actors and directors pay for the transport and are paid a token sum of Rs. 100 per performance. A few decades ago, this amount used to be Rs. 10. Theatre was and is an activity that actors take up with passion," he cited, adding that even those like Shabana Azmi and Javed Siddiqui accept this sum with pride.

Sathyu highlighted the need to have continuous performances to develop a strong theatre culture. "The show must go on, even if only 10 people have turned up to watch the play." Most importantly, he felt there was a need to make Hyderabadis purchase tickets and arrive on time for the shows. "At Prithvi, no one requests for free passes." He also cited the example of Bangalore that has now regularised play timings. "The play begins on schedule and no one is allowed to enter once the play has begun, even if he is a VIP." Addressing queries from the audience on the need for Urdu and Telugu theatre, Sathyu felt that Hyderabad has scope for both. "Mumbai is an example where Gujarati, Marathi, Hindi and English theatre co-exist successfully," he said.

The evening also saw the screening of Sathyu's film Garam Hawa, India's official entry to the Oscars in 1975.