Well-educated, talented and funny, that’s Farhad Colabavala for you. Acting up some new antics on stage, the artiste is all set to present his new play, Eight Kings, a historical drama, set during the times of Sheikh Nizamuddin Auliya, and the eight sultans of the Delhi sultanate who ruled just before the advent of Mohammed Bin Tughlaq. “I wanted to highlight the juxtaposition of eternal love of the seeker—the sufi and the impermanence of political power. There was a lot of material, but to keep it tight was challenging,” says Colabavala, a post-graduate in Economics and Management from St. Andrews, Scotland and Masters in Finance from Warwick Business School, UK. He’s also been a part of Yale’s summer conservatory.
Theatre is just one means of expression for this avid sportsmen. He represented his school Vasant Valley in tennis soccer, and cricket, while doing well at cricket and squash at St. Andrews University. “Sports for me is a means to unwind. It has also taught me teamwork and leadership among other things, that have come handly in my acting works,” he says.
While theatre and sports are things that he do for himself, assisting the underprivileged is what he does for others. He’s been working with children with difficulties and conflict in Kashmir. “It brings about the promise of creativity to these children and transforms their pain into empowerment. The creative processes bring about resilience and helps them to gain insights into their own lives,” he says.
It’s acting, however, that keeps him in good spirits to continue fulfilling other endeavour he harbours an interest in. Cheer him on.
September 29: 6.30 pm at Multipurpose Hall, India International Center, 40, Max Mueller Marg.