Dayahang Rai is a veteran of theatre as well as a favorite among many moviegoers. The actor's popularity skyrocketed after the 2012 'Loot' and he continues to enthrall his fans with a steady stream of drama productions and movie releases. In fact, Rai is planning for a month of shooting trip.
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Helping children enjoy reading
However, he made some time to sit down with Priyanka Gurung and talk a little about books and his preferences.
Indeed it is. Years ago when I was just starting out, I was told that I would have to start reading even more as I become involved in theatre. Today I consider it to be a good advice. Books fuel our imagination, thus making it easier to build up our character roles. We can derive many inspirations and concepts from books and put it into practice on stage and behind cameras.
Have you always been keen on books?
I grew up in a village. So many different varieties of books weren't that easily accessible. Whatever was available, I remember picking them up when I was around Class 8/9. During that age, of course, we used to automatically gravitate towards romantic novels. Slowly but surely, I discovered the likes of Indra Bahadur Rai and Parijat. Even though I didn't understand everything the authors were trying to say in the first reading itself, it certainly ignited a love for literature. Besides, I was a big reader of magazine articles as well. I remember I really used to enjoy Nepali magazines such as Kamana, Yuwamanch and Bimochan.
Have you ever read a book and thought that you would make a great script for a play or movie?
Actually there were two. Years ago, when I had finished Nayan Raj Pandey's 'Ular', I was very impressed. The novel itself is thin and compact but the way it had been written was superb. The author had this ability to paint pictures with his words. I could see the visuals in my head as I read the storyline and back then I fantasized that if I were a director, this would make for a brilliant debut. Similarly with Shyam Shah's 'Aaba'. It tells a story of a very common society in the Tarai but its characters were so memorable. Even after finishing the book, I found myself thinking about them as well as their stories. So once upon a time, I thought that would be another nice option for a play or film adaption.
What's your favorite kind of genres?
Over the years, I'm found that I'm biased towards fiction. I've read many genres of books but my favorites are the ones where the writers' imagination seems to know no bounds. Besides that, I also enjoy contemporary stories. The kinds of books that help us or at times even force us to reflect upon our society and people.
We hear you also like poems. Is it true?
Yes, I really enjoy reading poems. I never memorize lines but I like going back to it over and over. Krishan Bhusan Bal and Upendra Subba have written some of the best poems I've ever come across. Poems tend to have lines that just strike the nerve, right where it matters. They are written in such a scrumptious manner, it's almost like a guilty pleasure.
So after trying your hand in acting and directing plays, do you have any writing aspirations as well?
I'm not the most proficient writer but I enjoy jotting down a few lines. I used to write poems and songs a lot as a youngster. I kept most of them to myself, though. So I guess it began from there. But these days, I write only plays. 'Maila.com' was one of my works. Also the upcoming production '00z' is also mine. Usually, there are some thoughts and sentiments that I want to express, so I use characters, and theatre as a tool to do that.
What do you enjoy the most about writing?
Whenever I sit down to write a play, I always have a concept ready. That always comes first. Then my priorities shift to the characters. Perhaps it's because I'm an actor, I find myself pouring a lot of love into my characters. There's immense pleasure in seeing the story in your head materialize on stage.
Being an actor yourself, do you have a favorite character from any books you've read?
The strange thing is that I get invested in every character writers introduce. I don't have a favorite because as a story plays out, I think each character depends on the other to make it interesting. It's a very intricate and sweet relationship. One wouldn't exist without the other. As an actor, I love seeing the different points of views that all the roles bring forth.
What's your opinion on today's reading culture?
Contrary to popular belief, I actually think that the reading culture in our society is slowly increasing. It's not as much as it ideally should be, but compared to the pitiful state in our days, the situation has certainly improved. These days, there's more interest among people. They seem to be aware and eager to get the new reads that are available in the market. I have a few friends in the publication field too and they agree while there's room for improvement, authors and books are capable of making healthy sales. So we have to conclude that the reading culture in our country is keeping up.
