NSD chairperson Paresh Rawal: ‘Bharat Rang Mahotsav is like the Mahakumbh of drama’

Veteran actor and former BJP MP Paresh Rawal was appointed chairperson of the National School of Drama (NSD) in 2020. The post remained vacant since 2017. (Photo: PTI)

With the theme of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam, Vande Bharangam — fostering global unity among artists and theatre practitioners — the 25th edition of the Bharat Rang Mahotsav kicked off with an inaugural ceremony in Mumbai. Over 150 plays in different languages will be staged across 15 Indian cities from February 1 to 21 as part of the National School of Drama’s (NSD) annual theatre festival. Actor and NSD alumnus Pankaj Tripathi has been appointed the festival ambassador this year. In a quick chat, actor and NSD chairperson Paresh Rawal delves into the significance of theatre and what needs to be done in order to make theatre accessible to all. Edited excerpts:

Delhi NSD chief Paresh Rawal (far left) and Bharat Rang Mahotsav 2024 ambassador actor Pankaj Tripathi (second from right) at BRM's inauguration at the National Centre for the Performing Arts (NCPA) in Mumbai on February 1.

Please share your thoughts on the 25th year of Bharat Rang Mahotsav.

First, I am really happy that it is also taking place in Mumbai because it has never happened here. Even though NSD is in the capital of the country, Mumbai is the capital of theatre with so many theatre activities in different languages taking place regularly. Bharat Rang Mahotsav is like a Mahakumbh of drama. There are plays in different languages, cultures and ideologies from every nook and corner of India. It is a spiritual experience. An Assamese play being performed in Gujarat or an Awadhi play in Delhi — that kind of exchange is mind boggling. It is a unique opportunity for art, theatre and literature lovers to get enlightened and entertained.

Do you believe that this is a triumph for theatre and for people who believe in the power of theatre?

Absolutely. There is a lot of audience who want to come and watch the theatre. People are still glued to theatre in spite of the onslaught of OTT and cinema. Theatre practitioners are attempting new ideas on stage. Despite getting training and having so many other platforms, there are some serious actors and practitioners who attempt theatre regularly and diligently. They are not Rang Karmi, they are Rang Dharmi — they have to do theatre. There is immense talent you see on stage. Sometimes a play from some remote corner of the country will come and blow your mind with its quality and sensitivity and then you feel so proud of your culture and your diversity.

Pankaj Tripathi is the brand ambassador of the festival this time. How do you think that will promote the initiative further?

It’s a very good idea by our director Chittaranjan Tripathy. Pankaj bhai also said a beautiful thing that he is not an ambassador but a Rang Doot, it is an extension of him. I think it’s a great idea. This generates more eyeballs and people also get inspired. When people see that a man from a village came to NSD and became a kalakaar (artist), it inspires everyone. All the actors at the inaugural ceremony are star actors. They don’t have godfathers in Mumbai, in fact, most of them don’t even have fathers in Mumbai! (laughs) They have come from outside and have proven their mettle by their sheer talent and not by dancing around trees with heroines or doing action sequences on running trains. At the inaugural ceremony, I requested students to also pay back to where they have come from and to do theatre in their own languages. Come and earn money and fame in Mumbai but pay back to theatre as well and do it in any language that you want to.

What do you think NSD or the government needs to do in order to make theatre penetrate even the smallest centres?

We have already proposed for NSD to be decentralised. I have also said that just like every state has an AIIMS, every state should have an NSD as well. There should be a lot more cultural spaces in cities. Mumbai, for instance, should have at least 15 Prithvi-like spaces. A person like Shashi Kapoor opened Prithvi Theatre at a place where real-estate prices are touching the sky. He could have built a high-rise tower for himself but he did this for the love of theatre. Generations of actors have come out of there and if Hindi theatre abounds in Mumbai, it is only and only because of Prithvi. The audience gets to watch good plays and understand in what atmosphere they should be watched.

You are still active in theatre despite your commitments as a film actor and your responsibilities as NSD chairperson. What compels you to do theatre?

Theatre is my lifeline. I get to engage with great writing in theatre. You can experiment with yourself as an actor in a very limited economy. I always say that God made the world, and then he made theatre.

Apart from Welcome to the Jungle, what are some of your other acting projects?

I did The Storyteller (based on a short story by Satyajit Ray, Golpo Boliye Tarini Khuro, and directed by Anant Mahadevan) a year or two ago and that should be released soon. Shastry Viruddh Shastry also released recently on Netflix which is a really good film. With the kind of training I have received in theatre and acting, it is when I get such roles that I feel satisfied otherwise I feel it is a waste of time. As an actor, I want that hunger in me to always remain intact.