Parag Dubey Actor, Writer, Director [English and Hindi Theatre ]
Which is the last best play you saw? UMRAO by Aarambh, which was directed by Hidayat Sami.
Your favourite 'adda' to see a play? Bharat Bhavan, which is a multi-arts complex and museum in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh.
Your favourite playwright? Anton Chekhov and Munshi Premchand. I like them because of the simplicity of these great writers. I believe everyone can connect to their stories and plays.
Your favourite play-character? Chota Bhai from the short story BADE BHAI SAHAB, written by Munshi Premchand.
A play you would like to see filmed. Why? MR KANAK PRASAD, which is directed by me. The reason being that I think it will be very inspiring for the young generation.
A novel/short story you would like to see on stage? Why? The novel FIVE POINT SOMEONE by Chetan Bhagat.
The most hilarious play you have seen PIYA BEHRUPIYA, directed by Atul Kumar and 2 TO TANGO 3 TO JIVE, directed by Sourabh Shukla.
An important play (but ignored) These plays are definitely important, but cannot comment if they are ignored.
GAGAN DAMAMA BAJYO by Sir Piyush Mishra, and GASHA, written by Irawati Karnik and directed by Abhishek Majumdar.
A play character you would like to ''dialogue'' with? Mannu hatela from my play, MR KANAK PRASAD.
A passage from an important play that you can recite ''Padhta bhi lekin utna hi ki roz ka task poora ho jaye aur darje me zaleel na hona pade''- from BADE BHAI SAHEB.
''Kyoki kuchh pagalo ko ye naare sun kar taish aa gaya tha, pagalo ko''- from TOBA TEK SINGH.
A play that changed your perception about the theatre MASSAGE directed by Harbans Singh, written by Marathi playwright Vijay Tendulkar and performed by actor Rakesh Bedi.
AAJ RANG HAI from Aarambh, directed by Poorva Naresh. This play made me realise the true power of theatre.
How do you regard the Mumbai theatre scene? The quality of theatre in Mumbai is very good. There are plays that happen in every genre, and there is an audience for all kinds of genres. I like that Mumbai has scope for commercial theatre, which is good for an actor who wants to survive in the city by doing just theatre. There is not a culture of commercial theatre in small cities.
If you have ever been a part of a theatre production/s, can you recall an event that was insightful, significant or simply humorous? Yes, a humorous incident happened during the performance of one of my comedy productions titled REVERSE SWING. We were performing it in Bhopal to a houseful audience. We had a co-actor who was 18 years old, and he had a funny laugh. He was watching the performance from the wings. At one point in the show, he started laughing and could not control himself. I could hear him laughing while I was performing on the stage. The other actors caught hold of him and locked him in the green room toilet.
Your favourite director/actor/music or set designer? Director- Late Chandrahas Tiwari Actors- Mr Ahmad Khan, Mr Rakesh Bedi, Mrs Seema Biswas, Mr Sourabh Shukla Set designer- Abdul Haq, who has worked with me.
A significant Indian production that you may have witnessed? OK TATA BYE BYE , written by Purva Naresh and directed by Rabijita Gogoi.
Life in the theatre without the humble batata-wada or the cutting chai... or can you recall the best gastronomic experience you've had in the precincts of the theatre to date? The cutting chai is very refreshing during, before or after the rehearsals. Having a tea break is a ritual during rehearsals. I guess it is common in almost all theatre groups where actors, writers and directors sit and discuss ideas, crack jokes or just listen to a song.
Parag Dubey
