Artists are very impressed with the calibre of audience in Nagpur: Samir Pandit

He may have been a textile engineer, but Samir Pandit has woven his success story in art and culture. Putting his money where his heart is, Pandit has created an environment of theatre appreciation in the city in just four years which is proving to be beneficial to not just the audience but even renowned producers in Mumbai and Pune. The three shows of the play Mr & Mrs which Pandit staged in the city recently got a full house."It was very tough to achieve consistency and credibility. But now I get calls from producers in Mumbai who want to stage their plays in Nagpur," he tells TOI.
Q. Why did you quit your job to promote art and culture?
A. I have a fair amount of exposure to art and culture as my uncle Nana Pandit is a well known writer. I used to watch these so called event managers in the city and realized that they were fooling the public. The poor quality of entertainment and innumerable flop shows happening in the city created this desire in me to do something better. So I quit my job as a production engineer in Indo Rama in 2003 to set up an event management firm.
Q. How different was your approach?
A. I learnt a lot by just observing people. In Mumbai, theatre producers are constantly looking for new persons who would take their productions to different venues. I did straight deals with them and never defaulted on payments. In fact I spent my entire gratuity amount I had got from Indo Rama into this venture just to gain trust. I studied public tastes and realized that it was a myth that only comedies clicked. I discovered that audience in the city was very discerning. I also followed what Marathi theatre actor Prashant Damle told me in the initial years, "Always get the right play. It is catastrophic to have a show crash just because you made the wrong choice."
Q. Why did you focus on Marathi theatre only?
A. Hindi plays cost four times more than Marathi ones. I also realized that there is a dedicated audience of five to ten thousand Maharashtrians in the city who are well read, affluent and very classy. I targeted that segment and began selecting plays to suit their taste. There is a good number of Gujarati audiences also who too enjoy these plays.
Q. You have worked out a successful strategy
A. I plan shows meticulously and spend money publicizing them. Each show can cost anything between Rs1 and Rs2 lakh. Cost of venue, official permissions, security etc take up another Rs50,000. This amount has to be recovered through window sales. The tickets are priced between Rs200 and Rs500. I hold multiple shows in the city as well as at places like Amravati, Akola, Chandrapur and Wardha. In recent years the paying capacity has increased so there is a rise in number of audience too. Theatre audience is more dedicated than those of cinema. And so far the number of dramas being staged in the city is very few.
Q. What sort of a destination has the city emerged for theatre?
A. It is still developing. Artists from Mumbai and Pune are very impressed with the calibre of city audience. So they are eager to perform here. In Mumbai, theatre is a weekend activity and there is too much to choose from. Here we give the audience choice in timings and dates for a play. Such is the importance of the city now that Prashant Damle has already given me dates to stage his under-production play Majhe Mulichi Love Story in October, featuring Ashok Saraf and Vishakha Subhedar.
Q. You are also producing your own plays
A. I want to promote local talent. So far I have produced four plays and all have been well received. Ashi Nawara Asha Baiko has local artists and we could collect Rs1.25 lakh only through ticket sales at Deshpande hall last year. I want to do it very professionally, so I ensure that artists get paid on time and get decent facilities during shows. We staged Ashi Nawara ... in Delhi and I have enquiries from Mumbai for Dabholkaracha Bhoot.