As he closes the Shakespeare Comedy Theatre Festival, playwright and director Rajat Kapoor shares his lesser known side.
Contextualise yourself in one line.
Here and now.
Give us a blurb on your theatre group, Cinematograph.
To be yourself…
You must
Become
The OTHER.
The first job you were hired for?
An assistant director with Kumar Shahani on his film Khayalgatha—right after I finished studying at FTII.
Why do you do what you do?
I think it’s a compulsion. It’s like a sickness. It’s not as if tomorrow I can decide okay, I don’t want to make any more films, nor do any more plays. It is just not possible. So I keep dreaming of my next film(s) and to make them possible, I keep writing. All the time I am on my own, I am writing.
The best thing about being an actor.
It’s a great job—you have no responsibility, it’s easy, people know who you are AND you get paid for it! Can you believe it?
First memory of acting or theatre?
The first play I acted in was a Moliere play. It was great fun to be a part of it, but I was a disaster on stage. I sucked big time.
Stage first or screen first?
Don’t make me choose—please!!
What makes life funny for you?
People in this country have a sense of humour no matter what you say. And they have a way of dealing with the first of situations with great sense of irreverence.
The one ritual you can’t do away with?
Listening to Bhimsen Joshi as I read the newspaper every morning with a hot cup of strong black coffee.
An event from the past that has most influenced you?
1993 riots in Bombay.
The one artist [from any genre/field] whom you can’t stop admiring?
Chaplin.
Favourite thirst quencher.
Coca Cola.
The best thing to spread on toast.
Butter.
Three things people will be surprised to know about Rajat Kapoor.
I don’t have a cellphone.
I am an atheist.
I love spending time at home.
Three of your favourite plays.
Macbeth
Waiting for Godot
Tughlaq.
One character from theatre you absolutely adore.
These days it has to be Macbeth.
The most overrated act.
Most of our big film hits.
First realisation of the 21st century?
It’s not going to be very different from the last one.
The one label a person from the 31st century writing about us would use to describe humanity today?
Ignorant, arrogant fools.
The one cure you stand by to overcome a creative block?
A walk.
When was the last time you did something for the first time?
Last year I started learning Tai chi.. It’s still new for me. And will take a couple of years more to practice.
Your greatest achievement so far…
The friendships that I have earned.
Freedom for you means…
Freedom from all concepts.
2017 will be?
The year of theatre for me.