Uday Chandra, a veteran theatre actor, confesses that he does theatre to while away time usefully. Having worked with directors like Vikram Kapadia, Zubin Driver and Phiroz Khan, Uday feels that theatre is something he chanced upon, his passion being films. Excerpts from an interview with the actor - by Purva Desai Being in the theatre industry for so long, how do you view the transformation of theatre from what it was to what it is? Theatre I suppose has always had the motive to come together and explore and create something that is very meaningful. The basic attitude towards theatre over the years has been positive. And the kind of theatre one gets to see and experience is a movement which is momentous, its origin being ancient. Thus, theatre is parallel to life. At any point of time (during your play) do you feel that you are losing your character or cannot maintain it? I am just grateful that over the years my ability to maintain the characters I portray has increased. The concentration stays and one doesn�t normally get distracted. �Black With Equal� has run successfully for three years. What has been your experience as an actor with director Vikram Kapadia? Vikram Kapadia is very encouraging as a director. I have worked with him before on plays like �The Dining Room� and �Tughlaq�. He knows what he wants from his actors and his approach and treatment is very professional. To achieve a production of this magnitude, with such a large cast, is certainly an endeavour of no ordinary caliber. Vikram is full of humour, so you can be yourself, without transforming too much into your character. You have been doing Hindi theatre for a long time. Why the sudden shift to English theatre? I started my career with Hindi plays. I did plays for IPTA and also worked with Mr. R.M. Singh. But then I switched to English theatre because I realized it was more fun doing English plays. I even tried doing a Marathi play but it didn�t do well with me in it, because someone had done that role earlier and was more suitable for it, as his Marathi was more fluent than mine. However, I am more comfortable with Hindustani because it is my mother tongue. Do you think experimental theatre has a status in Mumbai today?Any experiment will always stand to gain because how does one progress? I have done many experimental plays, especially with Zubin Driver. Theatre for you is a passion or a livelihood or is it both? With the advent of �Black With Equal�, theatre has now become a means of livelihood. Now I am able to support myself and live independently, after 30 years of survival. Film work is sporadic and theatre being a constant base, keeps you grounded. And even if there is money, sanity is always there. Films are my passion. I do theatre just to while away time usefully. Do you think English theatre is elitist? English theatre is elitist and I think the audience at NCPA has always proved this for me, because whenever I have performed there, I feel that the audience is superior to whatever I have performed and so I have to do my best to impress them. But I think the same audience will equally enjoy a good Hindi or Marathi play. So, elitist is not necessarily language, it is more to do with ethics and aesthetics. 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