'Artists always draw from own life, perspectives'

Director's cut

I chose to write a play on midlife crisis because everyone goes through it,” says actor Saurabh Shukla, who will be taking over the stage as Parminder Singh Sethi in his next theatrical production, 2 To Tango 3 To Jive.

“When I had hit that stage, I had felt it to be a strange thing. This is where the idea sprouted from. While it is a comedy play, it questions the duality and morality of the society. There is a protocol for everything in our society, but then not everything which is prototyped is correct. You have to understand the psyche of the people, and this is what the idea behind the play is,” the actor tells Metrolife.

Written and directed by Shukla, the 130-minute play which has been presented by AGP World and Old World Culture,depicts what happens when the proverbial midlife crises knocks, and then barges through the doors of Sethi’s mundane existence.

So does the play draw characters and situations from real life? “I have always said that all an artist does is somewhere drawn from his own life or perspective. In this case, the topic is relatable and I do understand the complexity of it,” says the Satya actor.

“Also, I would like to present my world view in all my works,” he adds. On being asked, why despite being a known name and face on the big screen, he chose theatre as the medium to tell his story, Shukla says “that’s because movies are more expensive”.

“And then, wherever money gets involved, you need to invest more to get returns. Also, the people who control the medium, don’t really let you experiment. But theatre allows you to experiment and widen your reach,” says Shukla, adding that “as theatre is an actor’s medium, you are in control of what you do”.

The play will be staged at Stein Auditorium, India Habitat Centre on 30 and 31 July at 4.30 pm and 7.30 pm on both days.