Writing, acting and directing are facets that complement each other for Manav Kaul, the founder of Aranya, a Mumbai-based theatre group. Be it films, television or theatre, most of his career choices have been instinctive, which helps him be content and also gives him the zeal to continue a self-exploratory journey. He was in town to stage the play Chuhal , which he has written, directed and also starred in. Excerpts from a conversation.
What does acting mean to you and how do your characters affect you?
I find acting therapeutic. The process is mesmerising, I feel I’ve become a better human being because I’m an actor. It’s a privilege, you feel humble about performing so many roles with diverse emotions in one lifetime. The characters help you understand different lives, it’s like reading a book. You can’t pinpoint a change that a book has affected you in a certain way. You know that you understand life better than what you used to before.
Do you find theatre to be a more personal experience, given you write, act and direct?
Theatre is a performing art. As long as you do what you want to do, anything is possible. I write plays and short stories and it’s inevitable that many characters that I create and perform are extensions of my personality. I’m the kind of a person who gets bored very easily, I need to do five or more things to really enjoy what I do. When I write, I don’t even think I can act, the vice-versa works too. I think many aspects complement each other, including my directorial abilities. I’m in a very happy space that I can act, write, direct and travel. Travelling is the reason I’m here for.
The immediacy of audience reaction in theatre and the lack of it in cinema, how do you react to reception?
As an artiste, the craft makes for a very personal journey that’s more about self-exploration. Every opportunity opens you to a perspective about life. I like to surprise myself and learn things by the moment. At the risk of sounding arrogant, I say the audience reaction doesn’t really matter to me, I don’t consider that as a validation. Theatre is a momentary craft, it is experienced then and there. Whereas film is part-history, has a wider audience and respect, both are interesting mediums. Theatre helps you experiment a lot and makes you live a character time and again. The film influence does help in theatre, but my approach towards theatre hasn’t changed because of that.
Is it more challenging to act in a play that you’ve written?
It is easier than acting in someone else’s play, because you understand the characters very well. It’s important to form a team that can react to your performance, writing and direction as much too. My theatre group Aranya has people whom I can trust, who help me take intelligent decisions. I hope my decision to act in Chuhal has worked well with the audience.
On staging ‘Chuhal’ in Hyderabad
My theatre group has come here before and has confessed to enjoying it, but it’s my first play appearance in Hyderabad. I always have social media requests about performing in Hyderabad. So here, I am!
How does a performance change with a different venue?
I think that’s the beauty of a play. With a different venue, you adjust, you react, you make changes and do your bit to make the stage feel a different home. Because we’ve performed the play in about 40 shows, we’re well set and yet, we want to surprise every time.
On acting with Vidya Balan in Tumhari Sulu.
Vidya Balan isn’t only an amazing actor but a wonderful human being too. She laughs a lot, which is what I do too. Our traits connected that way! We were very happy to be part of a slice-of-life film that’s equally fun. I’m hopeful of it doing well.
