Anasuya Vaidya, Theatre Director, Filmmaker
Anasuya Vaidya lives in two Delhis. One that blooms within the beautifully handcrafted walls of the Akshara Theatre near Gole Market, and another, outside. The theatre director and filmmaker is in cultural transition, placed between two generations of artistes—her parents and her children, who, too, are promising actors. Forty-two years after her mother performed the epic Ramayana, daughter Nisa Shetty has taken to theatre and performs the role of Sita in a fresh version of her grandmother’s solo performance, in katha style.
In a city where Shakespeare, Dario Fo and Moliere find an erratic audience, Anasuya offers plays like The Revised Kamasutra.
“The 1970s were very vibrant. They were the best years of Delhi’s cultural scene. The last decade has revitalised the creative arts here. The sub culture has found a voice. Many young people are taking risks with what they want to perform. Delhi is a cultural kaleidoscopic now. The number of events has gone up.”
Akshara Theatre, built by her father and renowned playwright-director Gopal Sharman, is not just a venue. For her, it is the heart and soul of drama. “When I was a kid, I would often read aloud to my mother the lines she wrote. She would read them back in a dramatic fashion. There was a lot to learn. Sometimes my brother and I would try to overhear their readings and conversations on performance. Our parents took us to a lot of theatre and music performances.”
The acoustic-friendly wood lined walls of Akshara’s small auditorium hold lost echoes of performances, rehearsals, applause and conversations long past. For now, Anasuya and her actors are busy rehearsing for Barrister at Law, a play on the early life of Mahatma Gandhi written by film director, novelist and screenplay writer, Khwaja Ahmad Abbas.
“I’m trying to document and create an archive of my parents’ work, including my father’s drawings and the techniques he has used and created in performance,” she says. Its not her last act though.
Who wins the arguments between your father and mother?
My father. Any day
Which fashion statements among Delhi teenagers do you dislike?
Too many black outfits, low-waist denims and strap-revealing shirts
What do you do in your free time?
Sit and watch the birds on the grounds of Akshara theatre