Anjan opens up on the state of theatre in Bengal

Anjan Dutt, whose latest stage offering, Salesmaner Shongshar, is based on

Arthur Miller

’s

Death of a Salesman

, made some observations on

theatre

recently. He said a live experience is different from just telling a story. “Salesmaner Shongshar will no longer be the same... Those who think it will be have no idea about theatre. They just want a story. Neither cinema nor theatre is a story. They are experiences. Cinema can be rediscovered later since it is recorder experience. Theatre cannot be. It is live, thereby fleeting,” he wrote on social media. Reflecting upon his recent screen outing, he said cinema lives on as there are several mediums that screen or stream them. “My recent film is no longer in the theatres for reasons which are very logical business wise. Despite regrets, I accept it with humility because I never ever wanted to play to the immediate gallery. I am immensely grateful to those who funded this passion. But I know that the film will be watched by many, later on other platforms and will find its due, since it is recorded art. But theatre is not,” said Anjan, adding that it’s increasingly becoming difficult reaching out to the theatre audience, which is a minority in Kolkata.