A fantastic journey

Theatre actor Trishla Patel makes her debut as writer and director with Kumbh Katha
After acting on stage for a decade with the Who’s Who of Indian theatre, launching her own company, T-Pot, was a natural progression for Trishla Patel. Quiz her about the significance of the name and she replies, “It can be interpreted in different ways. In theatre, we have lots of chai, so the simplest interpretation is tea- pot. But on another level, the pot symbolises a space of coming together of diverse ideas and T obviously stands for theatre. It’s also an ode to my guruji Satyadev Dubey. The name of his company was Theatre Positive.”

The actor’s first offering from her company is a fantasy play, Kumbh Katha. It is a story about the journey of two men who are separated by fate. The cast of the play is an interesting mix of age groups right from 9 to 45 years showcasing the journey of two men from their childhood to adults and their interaction with the people around them.

Trishla got the inspiration for this play from her visit to the Kumbh Mela. She says, “I had the basic idea of two boys setting out on a journey. Later, I went to the Maha Kumbh Mela. It was a rejuvenating and inspirational experience for me. This mass pilgrimage takes place at those places where four drops of amrit had fallen. This inspired me to make a fantasy play on the fifth drop of amrit. I decided to merge both the ideas in Kumbh Katha. “

Though the actor was writing a play for the first time, it took her less than two weeks to complete the draft. But the biggest challenge that she faced was hoping that the audience relates to the play. She says, “Writing is a lonely but fun experience. The only thing that I was constantly hoping was that the audience should follow and understand the sequence of events right from the beginning as Kumbh Katha has a non-linear format.” After the script was ready, Trishla faced an uphill task - of getting the cast right. “While directing, as I started gathering the cast, it kept increasing gradually. Now we have 20 cast members. We have roped in child artistes and also several volunteers from Prithvi Theatre.”

Sanjay Dadich and Trushant Ingle play the protagonists. The play had its own set of challenges for the duo. While Sanjay has been acting on stage since five years and has usually appeared in realistic plays, this is the first time he is seen in a fantasy play. “In realistic drama, you know what you have to do. But in fantasy plays, logic goes for a toss and you have to convince yourself to do something new and different.”

Eighteen-year-old Trushant plays Sanjay’s brother in Kumbh Katha. He drew a lot from his personal experiences to portray the role. He says, “In the play, I am disowned by my mother and she leaves me in an ashram at Ujjain. In real life, though I hail from Nagpur, I stay alone in Mumbai. So though the setting and timeframe aredifferent, I could relate to my character. Whenever I have to get emotional in the play, I recall several incidents that resulted in my personal loss.”

Kumbh Katha also marks the return of film and television actor Asif Basra to theatre after six years. He plays an asura in the play. “I portray the role of a devil who wants to become immortal. It was scary as well as inspirational to make a comeback to theatre as you have to constantly live up to people’s expectations. Since Trishla is a good friend, she’s aware of my strengths and weaknesses and used me for the right thing. I’m also acting with young people in the play, so it infuses a lot of energy.”

Kumbh Katha premieres on June 15 at Prithvi Theatre, Mumbai.