“Theatre is my first love. I have grown up with it and seen all its facets,” begins Ira Dubey. For the daughter of Lilette Dubey, the performing arts was a natural choice and few were surprised when she entered it at an early age. She initially worked with the Delhi-based theatre group Kids World. Later, she went on to get a Master’s in Theatre Studies from Yale University. “Theatre keeps you grounded. It offers stability in a non-monetary way. This is one thing that has been constant in my life”, she adds.
This 26-year-old enjoys dabbling with a lot of activities and has also donned the role of an anchor in the popular show Chicks on Flicks on Sony Pix. “Playing the anchor on a television show was amazing. I had to compile the content and do a lot of research. It provided a deeper and fresher understanding of cinema. I also had the opportunity of watching some of the best films in the world,” she says.
Ira beams with pride when asked about her mother and Primetime Theatre Co. “I really admire my mother as a human being. She is intelligent and creative. A typical Virgo, she is a perfectionist and workaholic. It can get irritating at times,” she laughs. “The diktat of Primetime Theatre has been to popularise Indian-English theatre. I have worked with my mother on a lot of productions and have even played assistant director for Sammy. 30 days of September is the closest to my heart, because mom and I play reel life mother-daughter in this play,” she informs.
Ira is also into writing and hopes to write and direct a film someday. “I have done an introductory course in play writing. My mother and sister feel that I am creative and that I will make a good director,” she smiles. When asked about her affinity for Chennai, she animatedly says that Chennai has an intelligent and receptive audience and that she loves coming to this happening city.
Ira, who latest appearance was in Aisha, hopes to concentrate on films while staging plays simultaneously. She is also working on a new play Aadhe Adhure with her mother. “I am very excited about this venture as it is my first Hindi play,” she says.