Why Rajat Kapoor keeps returning to theatre: ‘Being well-known or not isn’t relevant’

Theatre is great fun- a real joy to make a new play, and even more joyous to travel doing shows with the band of actors who have, over the years, become a repertory, said Rajat Kapoor (PR handout)

He may juggle many roles, but Rajat Kapoor is clear: he is a filmmaker first. Best known for movies like Mithya, Ankhon Dekhi, and Mixed Doubles, the multifaceted actor is equally noted for his theatre work, including Macbeth – What’s Done is Done, Karamjale Brothers, Nothing Like Lear, and most recently, The Thing With Feathers.

In an exclusive email interview, the Monsoon Wedding actor talks about his passion for making movies, what draws him to theatre, his latest production, and why he hopes he never has to do a play with long-time associate and Operation Safed Sagar actor, Vinay Pathak.

Read the edited excerpts below:

Q. Actor, filmmaker, stage director: you wear many hats. Which role satisfies you the most creatively and why?

Rajat Kapoor: I am a filmmaker first. That is what I do primarily. My main focus is making my next film, all the time! But since it is so hard to raise finance, there are huge gaps between two films, which I fill with writing my next scripts.

And of course theatre is great fun- a real joy to make a new play, and even more joyous to travel doing shows with the band of actors who have, over the years, become a repertory. New ones come, some old ones leave- and then there are a few constants.

Q. Take us through the conceptualisation of The Thing With Feathers: the research, the title, and why the first 50 years of the 20th Century?

Rajat Kapoor: Why is always a difficult question. Not sure why, but for the last two years I had this idea of doing a kind of history of the 20th Century. Then I thought it would be too much for one play, so I decided to focus on the first 50 years of the last century. So much happened in that time. The world changed exponentially.

What was also interesting was how similar the first few decades of this century were. As the French say- the more it changes, the more it is the same thing. The title, of course, came much later- just a month before the opening shows, I think… once we knew what the play was about… sort of.

A scene from The Thing With Feathers. (PR handout)

Q. You have worked with Vinay Pathak for nearly three decades now. You once even said that you probably wouldn’t ever do a play without him. But when two creative individuals collaborate, differences often arise. What is the secret to your healthy relationship?

Rajat Kapoor: I don’t know. Probably just trust. And trust only gets stronger over the years. I really hope I never have to do a play without Vinay. It is indescribable what he brings to a play- it is not only his talent; it is his enthusiasm for it, and his trust in the process of play-making. The belief that even if nothing is working today, it will come together somehow. And with him, it always does.

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Q. You are closely associated with both the stage and the screen. Would it be correct to say that theatre, despite not always having a star cast, is thriving while good cinema continues to struggle? If yes, why?

Rajat Kapoor: That is so true. Theatre is thriving- you are right. Especially since it has changed over the last 6-7 years. Post-pandemic, and with the advent of OTTs, people’s cinema habits changed. At least as far as smaller films are concerned. They still go to watch a spectacle, and then wait for the next one… but for the other kind of films, what was called ‘multiplex cinema’ some 15 years back- they refuse to budge.

It is pretty puzzling, because the same audience is willing to watch a live performance and pay 10 times (or more) for a ticket! But that is how it is.

Rajat Kapoor with the cast of the play Blue Mug, Konkona Sen Sharma, Ranvir Shorey, Vinay Pathak, Sheeba Chaddha. (Express Archive)

Q. Every project comes with its own set of challenges. What were your biggest stumbling blocks when working on The Thing With Feathers?

Rajat Kapoor: As you said, every project has its own set of challenges. By that metric, ‘The Thing With Feathers’ was one of the easiest things to materialise. It just kept growing, almost on its own- till one day, we had the play. And I never doubted the process or the end result. With this one, we always knew that we had a play here… somewhere. We just have to find it, and polish it.

Q. You are extremely well-known in cinema. What keeps you coming back to the theatre?

Rajat Kapoor: Being well-known or not is not relevant. One is involved with theatre for the sheer joy of creating and performing, for the collaborative energy of this creation, and for the joy of hanging out with your friends.

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Q. How was the response to the first run of The Thing with Feathers in Mumbai? Have you made any tweaks to the upcoming shows?

Rajat Kapoor: Amazing. Hopefully, the play will keep discovering new heights and new depths as we perform it again and again.

The play will be staged at OP Jindal Auditorium, Delhi, on September 26 and 27.

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