Theatre gives me a reason to exist: Makarand Deshpande

Actor, playwright and director Makarand Deshpande plays many roles with ease. He has an impressive body of work that includes theatre, television and films. One of his longest running plays

Sir Sir Sarla

will now be staged in Ahmedabad in Gujarati and he makes his debut as a writer-director of a Gujarati play. He is affable, articulate and in between conversations, he gets into a philosophical mood.
THE CALL OF THE STAGE
I was a commerce student and I loved playing cricket. But I didn’t want to retire after some years of playing cricket. I wanted to be part of something that does not have retirement. So, I chose theatre and that defines me the most. Films have a longer shelf life and they have given me recognition. Recently, I met somebody who asked me, “Sir, you are the one who acted in Makdi, na? I had seen the movie as a child.” Films stay in people’s memory for a longer time. In front of the camera, an actor needs to perform in cuts with the same intensity. One has to maintain that element of continuity. Theatre allows me to be in the moment without interruptions. It’s all about being in that moment wholly and Substantially. All the experiences I have accumulated in life gets reflected in theatre. Theatre gives me gives me the reason to exist.
SIR SIR SARLA COMES TO AHMEDABAD
Sir Sir Sarla was staged for the first time in Hindi in 2001 with Rajendra Gupta, Anurag Kashyap and Sonali Kulkarni. The first half of the play is about memory and the second part is about reality. The interesting thing about the play is that all its anger makes people laugh. The play has an essence of Gujarati poetry and literature. I am glad that my story's reach is increasing manifold with such tours. This is my first play which is adapted in Gujarati and I truly hope the audiences enjoy the performance. The play has gone beyond time. So, I feel that even when I am not there, the play will continue.
JOURNEY BETWEEN FANTASY AND REALITY
Initially, I would negate reality. But today I see life differently. All my experiences have been personal searches/answers to everything ranging from life, death, faith and relationship. The long years of rich varied experiences are all woven into my work. Many times, I don’t stop where the story starts. That’s my take off point.
CREATING ALTERNATIVE SPACES TO STAGE PLAYS
Today, we have home theatre, café theatre and platform theatre. Spaces now come at a premium. Everybody can’t afford these spaces. Some plays are for 20 minutes and don’t need elaborate spaces. So, alternative spaces work wonderfully for them. There should be choices to stage plays in different spaces and it can also bring theatre closer to people too.


CHALLENGES OF WORKING IN DIFFERENT LANGUAGES
It’s difficult to do plays in other languages. It’s lot of hard work and one does get tired. But one still goes ahead because of all the interesting opportunities one gets.
THE ART OF STORY-TELLING
Story-telling has taken a backseat. Now, there is little layering in writing. People take jokes as jokes. Everyone says, ‘Kuch maja chahiye.’ Theatre works because of audiences. Playwright is the fundamental aspect of theatre. In the works of Vijay Tendulkar and Rabindranath Tagore, we see the beautiful art of story-telling. Natak mein bhitar ki baat hoti hai.
LIFE BEYOND THEATRE
I love to read, I enjoy poetry a lot. I like to talk to people, perceptions keep happening to me. There’s no element of judgement in me. Judgement makes me finite. There’s no alternative to life. So, it’s better to live life, be perceptive and observe life too. I have a particular journey. I can’t be a rebel throughout my life. I can’t reverse the process of my journey.