World Theatre Day 2022 | Vinay Pathak: ‘You have to be open to being at your most vulnerable’

Actor Vinay Pathak. (Photo by Sarika Gangwal)

Vinay Pathak has been part of theatre for more than three decades now, but ask the actor if he still feels nervous facing the audience and the answer is an emphatic ‘yes’. That nervous energy and excitement, perhaps, is one of the reasons Pathak continues to remain so active on stage. In a conversation on World Theatre Day, the accomplished actor talks about stagecraft, his work with Rajat Kapoor and what theatre means to him.

Theatre suddenly became a privilege. One realised during the lockdown that in order to survive, human beings don’t need much, but they do need art and theatre. Once the restrictions eased a bit last year, we did a week of theatre and now again, we are gearing for some shows at Prithvi Theatre this week. What better way to celebrate World Theatre Day than by being on stage!

It was not so much a change of heart as it was of mind. My heart was always in theatre. I went to see a show, found it really intriguing and I thought to myself, “What am I doing here? I should be up there!” It was very extempore but the impact was very intense. That is why it has lasted till now. I can’t imagine going back to MBA. I wonder how I reached B-school in the first place. It must have been some mistake on somebody’s part. I don’t have an ounce of business acumen in me! (laughs)

It was a first for us as well, and it’s still going on. We don’t know what the next 10 years of that experience will bring to us. That’s the exciting part. Currently we are doing these 3-4 plays, but Rajat and I are thinking of devising yet another play. We don’t know what it is or the format; we just want to do something.

It’s a misconception we have that people in smaller cities don’t understand theatre. The city might be small because it may have a lesser population or fewer amenities but that doesn’t mean that people are smaller in their aspirations, intelligence, intellect or their dreams. Just because they don’t get to see as many plays does not mean that they don’t understand plays.

Secondly, I want to bring out the ultimate truth of the big cities. One would think that everyone in big cities goes to the theatre but that’s not the reality. I have met so many people in cities such as Mumbai and Bengaluru who come backstage after a play to tell me that this is the first play they have seen. So, theatre needs to be a larger faculty, that’s all. It needs to be a part of the curriculum from the beginning. It has something very substantial to it for educating the youth.

That happens every time I go up on stage! (laughs) Honestly, theatre is much bigger than an individual thinking about their role. I consider it an honour and a privilege to be given a chance to be a part of theatre.

Having said that, performing a play like C for Clown which is the first of our clown plays is very scary. That’s where everything started. That was exciting and scary at the same time because we didn’t have a direction, a script or structure. You create a story from nothing. That requires months of making a fool of yourself but I realise that’s what theatre entails – you have to be open to being at your most vulnerable.

Theatre is a humbling process, physically and otherwise. Plays such as C for Clown, Nothing Like Lear and Hamlet make me nervous every time I have to perform them. I start getting nightmares weeks before. It sounds funny but it’s very scary.

Vinay Pathak in 'Nothing Like Lear'.

I don’t know if there is any contribution to theatre from my side other than just doing whatever I got to do. But the other way round, theatre has done almost everything for me. It has opened my eyes. It has given me another realm and world to think and create with. It has taught me how to speak, how to walk and how to sit. It has taught me how to use language and our bodies as beautiful tools to create and to tell stories and even on a minuscule level, attempt to make a difference. It has humbled me on many levels - in terms of interacting with people, with society, understanding about a particular sect or community, about minorities and their issues. It has helped me understand what adversities and privileges are and how you can use both for the benefit of people. It has taught me not to just think about myself all the time and that’s the biggest gift of theatre to me.