Tejal Sinha
Before that, everything had gone all digital; trust us when we say kids have actually lived their childhood to the fullest. Not only have they played the best of the best outdoor games, but they have also had their grandparents recite some wonderful life-learning stories.
Thanks to Zee Theatre’s Koi Baat Chale, which is bringing back these stories and opportunities to revive the legacy of classic Indian literature with its anthology of dramatic readings. Well, today we bring to you our interaction with actor Vivaan Shah, who narrated Munshi Premchand’s ‘Gulli Danda’. Vivaan has not only starred in films like Saat Khoon Maaf, Happy New Year, Laali Ki Shaadi Mein Laaddoo Deewana, or Kabaad: The Coin, but has also been deeply connected to the theatre. It wouldn’t be wrong to say that theatre is in his veins. His parents, the legendary Naseeruddin Shah and Ratna Pathak Shah, have been a massive part of the theatre to date. Not just in theatre, Vivaan has also been a great novelist.
Narrating ‘Gulli Danda’ by Munshi Premchand was an absolute dream come true for him. The legendary Premchand has been one of his favourite writers of all time. Well, that can be seen from the literary essay that Vivaan had written on his social media about how much his works meant to him. “This is the second time I was inhabiting the work of Munshi Premchand,” enthuses Vivaan, and continues, “The first time was in my father’s production of Katha Collage, in which I performed Premchand’s famous short story, ‘Bade Bhai Saahab’. ‘Gulli Danda’, in a way, is a spiritual sibling of that short story. They evoke childhood in the same delicate way; both stories have a great love for Mother Earth and one’s fellow people.”
Something that he’d enjoyed the most was conceiving the character of Gaya, who is a boy from the lower stations of society. Going further in the conversation, he reveals, “I’ve played such a boy in a film called Coat, which should be released soon. In order to mould Gaya, I was able to draw upon what I learned while doing Coat, and I was able to apply it to ‘Gulli Danda’.”
‘Gulli Danda’ is a sport that not many kids of the current generation are aware of. In the 1980s and 1990s, kids would know the feeling of playing the sport on the playground. Has Vivaan played the sport during his childhood? He recalls, “I have played it, and I do have some vivid memories of the game. The sanctity of the playground is something that never leaves the mind. I can recall in vivid detail with whom I played it and where I played it.”
He feels honoured to be a part of this beautiful assemblage of masterworks from the literary heritage of India. “Seema Pahwa Ji is one of my favourite human beings and artists of all time. Words cannot describe how much she, her whole family, and her work mean to me. What we’re doing here essentially emerges from the tradition of the Dastaan Go, where you have one character inhabiting all the parts and playing all the characters. It is as much of a literary exercise as a thespian one, as it entails an innate comprehension of rhythm, syntax, sentence construction, communication, and, above all, literary and dramatic style.”
It’s no surprise that theatre has been a foundation for many current-day actors. But, unfortunately, many actors have turned their backs on theatres after achieving success in films. Too busy making money! And Vivaan, who has had a very influential theatre background, believes it too. “I do feel that, and it is a pity! It is perfectly possible for a person to maintain active participation in the film or industrial realm and still be able to do theatre. Many have done so before; it is just a matter of the desire to do so, efficient time management, and also the ability to shed the creature comforts that are synonymous with work in big films.”
He also feels that the theatrical experience has ultimately devolved into giving diminishing returns to their customers. For instance, he shares, “In the old days, you had projectionists who took a great deal of care. Ticket prices and Popcorn and soft drink prices are astronomical and unfair. On top of that, the popcorn is stale, the fountain Pepsi is flat, and it costs nothing less than 500 bucks. In the middle of the show, you have food deliveries
happening to your seat. All this is absurd! This is not the cinema-going experience people from my generation (the Gaiety Galaxy generation) grew up with. With 250 rupees in those days, the whole family could have a wonderful evening out at the movies. Today, the same will cost nothing less than 5000, perhaps more. PVR and other chains need to restrategize and rethink their models. The theatres and the distributors need to realise that the cinema is the working-class person’s art form; it is not an aristocratic and fancy five-star thing! They should price out the common out of the theatres.”
Vivaan is very aware of how privileged he is, but does that always give him an upper hand? He gleefully highlights, “It does; there is no question about it. Just look at what a person who comes from out of town and doesn’t know anyone has to go through. They have to start from scratch and face the slings and arrows of a hostile world. Second-generation people like myself should never ever forget that they are, after all, second-generation people.”
Having said that, he has always looked upon the positive pressure of coming from an influential family as something that further pushes him forward to work even harder.
Every time that one thinks of theatres, one of the actors who would for sure pop up in our minds would be Naseeruddin Shah, and why not? He’s been an inspiration, not just to know about his teachings, and Vivaan recalls, “He has always stressed the importance of a person’s imagination and humanity to their acting and craft in whatever art form they might practise. He has also stressed the importance of focusing on one’s craft and not being swayed by bells and whistles. The value system he has instilled in me has made me what I am today.”
Vivaan, who describes himself as an actor or novelist and is a theatre person first and a screen actor second, feels that it’s not him who chooses the project but the project that chooses him, and he respects all the work that comes his way. However, if a project is particularly bad, he exercises his discretion and chooses not to be a part of it.
The theatre, Vivaan says, is the mother of all art forms and the art form from which many others were birthed. “The exchange of energies between the Artist and audience in the theatre is unparalleled and cannot be experienced anywhere else except perhaps in a live musical concert.”
In industrial and business-related terms, he feels that his growth has been slow, but not in artistic terms. “I think during the course of my 12–13 years as a professional screen actor, I have learned a great deal about the craft of acting and have improved and hopefully evolved my craft and my abilities. It is important for every actor to just focus on their craft and their abilities and to just be a good actor that has strong acting chops; that will keep one in good stead in this business.”
On the work front, he has Charlie Chopra and the Mystery of the Solang Valley by Vishal Bhardwaj, U-Shape ki Gully by Avinash Das, a show about doctors directed by Sahir Raza, Coat, which was shot in Bihar with Sanjay Mishra, and another thriller show for Applause.
