Writer-Director Durba Sahay has inherited the love for art and literature from her parents — her father was a cinema- lover who directed plays and her mother was a singer, “addicted to Hindi and Bangla literature”. “If there was Tik- Tok back then, they would have been Tik-Tok stars for sure,” says Sahay, who moves between Gaya (Bihar) where she has a cultural center and theatre repertory called Renaissance (set up in 2003 with her husband Sanjay), and Vasant Vihar (Delhi) where her home is.
Sahay entered the stage as a child performer. After establishing herself as an actor, she ventured into direction and script writing. Her first short film The Pen (2011) received critical acclaim for its fresh ideas. Now, her debut feature film, Aavartan, has been selected for the 51st International Film Festival of India, under Indian Panorama Feature Film section. Starring Padma Shri Shovana Narayan, Sushma Seth, and Sunit Razdan in main roles, the film is an attempt to educate youngsters on our cultural roots, which they are “fast forgetting”.
Excerpts from an interview:
When did you get the idea for Aavartan, and how did you go about it?
The idea hit me several years ago. Initially, I wanted to make a short film, and even started writing the script (in 2013), but I had so much to say that I couldn’t fit it into a 30-45 minute film. So, I decided to make a full-length film. I started working on it in 2018, and completed in 2020.
Tell us more about the film.
Aavartan features the cycle of guru-shishya relationship how it begins, evolves, ends, and how a new cycle begins, when the shishya turns into a guru. Sushmaji plays the role of a retired Kathak guru Gayatri Prabha Devi while Shovanaji plays the role of her disciple, Bhawna Saraswati in the film. Saraswati is a successful Kathak maestro, who is also a guru, nurturing the present generation. Sunit plays the role of Saraswati’s secretary, who turns her vision into reality.
Seth and Razdan are established actors while danseuse Shovana Narayan is not. How did you manage the three?
Once we started working together, there was no notion of an experienced or non-experienced actor, everyone prepared for their role like a newcomer, bringing in a lot of experience at the same time. Both Sushma ji and Sunit (who was a part of daily rehearsals via video calls), and shared their performance techniques with other actors to make things easier.
When did theatre happen to you?
In my school days. But the real magic began in 2003, when we set up a well-equipped theatre in Gaya, called Renaissance. We produced several plays and travelled all across the country with our productions. We also hosted a large number of professional theatre productions at our auditorium.
You were doing well in acting. Then why did you decide to become a director?
The line between a director and an actor is very thin, I think the director is like a father, serious and responsible, while the actor is son, playful, observant and explorer. All sons mature some day and become like their fathers. But, the actor in me is still very much alive and young. I may still act in plays if life and time allow it to happen.