As an actor, do stories make up a big part of your life?
Yes, it all begins with words. The performance we put up on stage and the show that airs on TV, it all begins with stories. I read and then memorize, including the full stops and the commas, around at least five scripts a year. Everybody perceives and imagines things differently but at the core of it all, there has to be good writing.
However, you mentioned you weren't much of a reader to begin with...
I'm dyslexic and I have always had challenges reading. My house was full of books and my mother and sister loved reading them, however, during my younger days I didn't share the same enthusiasm. In fact, even today, I admit, I would love to hire a reader. I immensely enjoy being read to and that's how I got my stories when I was a kid.
What about now? Do you still find it challenging?
With practice, reading has become relatively easier. Fortunately, there was a teacher at school who was kind enough to help me. Then at Gurukul, with all the scripts, I had to urge myself to keep going. It is still challenging. I still have a terrible time with b and d, for example. I'm good at memorizing lines but getting through them for the first time takes a lot of time. But then again, it's a part of my job. In this respect, I guess I have always had an interesting relationship with words.
Going back to writing, what do you think about the writing in Nepali theatre?
We have only just started. The theatre culture is just flourishing so there is a long way to go. Playing out a story and packaging it for the stage is an art and it certainly takes time to develop. Currently, we are heavily relying on adaptations of various foreign plays. But then again, that should help us learn more about good writing. After all, a good script is what makes a stellar release.
But sometimes I wonder if our Nepali language puts us at a disadvantage as well. This is only a personal opinion but I have noticed that rich, poetic dialogues in English or even Hindi lose their charm when translated into Nepali. It just doesn't have the same impact and doesn't seem to elicit the same kind of emotions. I guess we will have to work on our articulation some more. It's certainly going to take some time.
Is there a play that you have always wanted to be a part of?
I don't remember desperately craving to be part of any particular story. In fact, I used to read more books on theatre, its culture and the meaning of being an actor rather than scripts. In order to perform, I believed that knowledge and information were crucial. So rather than chase certain plays, my priority has always been to nail whatever roles I got.
What about characters? Are there any that fascinate you?
I usually get attracted to very weird characters. For example, in my last play, Anna in the Tropics, my character's younger daughter, Marella, was amazing. This is a 22 year old girl who had equal amount of madness and sensibility. She would talk about preserving memories and moments in a jar, very poetic, but then again she would urinate in public as well. From an actor's perspective, such characters are incredibly challenging to justify.
Also I felt that this character was the writer himself. In my opinion, a writer writes because he can't say everything. This is what I believe. You write about things that you can't state and the madness you can't explain. Cruz, the writer, had done a beautiful job creating this character.
Have you ever thought of writing yourself?
I do have these 60 seconds ideas but I still find the prospect intimidating. But maybe one day I will write. I would love to write a comedy play featuring women or a film from the perspective of a child but not at the moment. I don't think it is time yet.
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