Talking to Varun Narain is like speaking to a child. Simple, honest and straight. And even as he voices serious issues and raises taboo subjects in his stories through puppetry, the smile never leaves his face. It is perhaps his art that lends this child-like innocence to his persona.
A puppeteer who almost took to sitar as his all-time profession (he was playing at the All India Radio and also in concerts abroad with his guru), recalls how he changed track deciding upon puppets but keeping music alive through this art form.
Weaving stories for workshops in Gurgaon presently, Varun has plenty of strings to pull at one go.
Your puppets have a surreal feel as also your themes and subjects. What attracts you to surrealism?
Initially the life and work of Salvador Dali was a major attraction and then over the years I realised how surreal the human mind was. Since I like to work on my puppet characters’ minds and make the story emerge from that, I guess people find it surreal. In my mind that translates to ‘super- real’.
You’ve taken the road less travelled. Puppetry, an ancient form of entertainment is no longer so. What, then, made you take to it and experiment with it in various forms?
I have not been able to find an answer to that but I know that I can only do best, what I love. I am fortunate to have family and friends who allow me my freedom. For me puppetry is the very crucible where object and life fuse. Whether traditional or modern, that one fact makes puppetry and object theatre fascinating forever. My journey has only had surprises...some unpleasant and some pleasant, and everything teaches me a deeper lesson about life and beyond.
The entire process of puppet making, creating a character, giving it a face, structure, personality, voice. How satisfying is the process itself?
The entire process is so blissful that the performance itself becomes a little boring – except sometimes for the audience responses – which are again fuel for future work.
How does casting for films enhance your growth as an artist?
The last film I worked on was ages ago - I think it was Holy Smoke directed by Jane Campion. My casting guru was Uma Da Cunha, and from her I learnt the meticulous art of looking for human elements through a director’s vision. It’s very similar to puppetry; it’s someone else’s story, but you have to look for real life characters.
And when you look at all human beings as equal, you find someone who suits the picture or scene in the most unusual way.
You blend various genres with puppetry - western classical ballet, Indian classical dance, opera, cabaret, etc. Is there a method in it or is it a natural instinct and progression of an art performer?
I love the music of ballet and opera, getting stories from the music as one moves an object or cloth or a plant is a very entertaining process. I am also deeply drawn to Indian classical music. I used to play the sitar, fortunate enough to be taught by Ustad Amjad Ali Khan. He opened my mind and heart to a universe of life that existed in music, the purity of notes and the art and beauty of raagas.
It’s a natural instinct. When I hear the music related to any of the genres, a story begins to take shape in my mind.
The characters emerge and begin to progress through audience interaction. Whatever the puppet does results in a cause and effect in the story. For me, the story is the journey of the character.
Taboo - censorship - bar - words that put borders on freedom. Do art forms get affected?
With puppetry, anywhere on this planet, one interestingly overcomes all these intellectual concepts that limit freedom. If someone or something is so truly amazing (as puppetry is) then audiences forget what should or shouldn’t be - or what is or isn’t “acceptable”.
The power of an obviously non-living thing coming to life transcends all narrow minds.
I take up unconventional subjects in puppetry because it allows me to say what I feel through this empowering medium.
Many such subjects were not acceptable in the society when I initially started puppetry but there is a gradual acceptance now. Times have changed and I find people in the villages more progressive and curious about nonconventional subjects.
Your latest work/projects....
For the past year-and-a-half I have been working on a story by Oscar Wilde. I hope to perform this by September.
At present, I am taking my characters to different non-urban audiences.
