Along with being an actor, singer and dancer, Ila Arun has also been a prolific theatre personality since over 40 years. Her group Surnai Theatre and Folk Arts Foundation, which she started in partnership with veteran artiste KK Raina, has come up with a number of stage performances over the decades. Their play Peechha Karti Parchhaiyaan has been one such play which has been much appreciated. Zee Theatre will be bringing it in the form of a teleplay from August 25 onwards through Tata Play Theatre.
EXCLUSIVE: Ila Arun on her teleplay Peechha Karti Parchhaiyaan, “There is no better place than theatre if you wish to play different types of roles”
In an exclusive interview with Bollywood Hungama, Ila Arun admitted that she wasn’t sure about this new medium to showcase theatrical performances. “Earlier I was resisting it thinking that if theatre comes on TV, it might become something else,” she said. “The power of theatre is live audience, which we have enjoyed for so many years. What if we lose it? But this is very popular in the West. Theatre is being staged live. But then it can’t reach every place. It needs a lot of money. In Bombay, we do it at places like NCPA but not all can watch it there.”
She continued, “Then I saw how it happens in places like Chicago where they showed it like a teleplay. So, they (Zee Theatre) told us how their technique would be. They won’t cut the scene in between while recording. Theatre is a continuous process. There are no breaks. When they approached us again, they showed us a trial. We realized that the whole process doesn’t lose the essence of theatre. The only difference is that you will be seated in your home and watching.”
Ila Arun added that they have recorded the play just like a normal theatre performance. “Nothing has been cut and no extra equipment has been used. I saw a few plays of others and it was done well. So, I accepted the challenge from Zee. One advantage is that your play is seen by a larger audience on such kind of a platform. And of course there is better money,” she said and added, “We also saw that people like Makarand Deshpande and Nadira (Babbar) ji have done it. So, we thought that if such big names have done this then it must be something good. We are very happy with what we have done with this. I feel this is a very good platform for theatre persons.”
Ila Arun has adapted Peechha Karti Parchhaiyaan from Henrik Ibsen’s internationally recognized play Ghosts and set it in Rajasthan. Along with that, she also plays the central character Yashodhara. “Before this, it was adapted into different international languages,” she said. “While writing, I realized that the character of Yashodhara who is a maharani, I know her better. I am born in Rajasthan and I have seen royalty from close quarters. My friends are also from there. So, I thought I should do this role.”
During the course of the conversation, Ila Arun also reasoned why theatre is the best medium for an actor. “In theatre, I can do what I like with honesty,” she said. “And I can reach out to my audience. Whether or not they have accepted you or not, you get to know there itself. I have done many different kinds of roles in theatre. In cinema, you get typecast. But if you wish to play different types of roles, there is no better place than theatre.”
KK Raina has directed Peechha Kartik Parchhaiyaan and also acted in it along with Vijay Kashyap, Param Singh and Priyamvada Kant.
Also Read: EXCLUSIVE: KK Raina on his teleplay Peechha Karti Parchhaiyaan, “Social evils that hamper women are still hanging around in India”
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