Actress-producer Namita Lal, who has been part of numerous theatre productions in her acting career, says that destiny kept bringing her back to the stage. She says that she has enjoyed every moment she has spent on stage so far.
“I used to do theatre in school. I participated in a major production during college at St. Stephen’s in Delhi, at Kamani, and it was an extremely popular sold-out show. I received numerous offers afterward, but I didn’t pursue it. Instead, I became a banker. In 2015, a director in Singapore offered me a significant role in a major production, reigniting my love for the stage. Since then, I’ve been involved in 12 theatre productions in Singapore, London, and Mumbai. I even performed at the Kala Ghoda festival in Mumbai, which was a fantastic experience. I adore being on stage,” she says.
She adds, “Theatre has greatly influenced my film career; I even got my first film role through theatre. I remember playing the role of the massage lady Rabbo, who had a same-sex relationship with her queen, Begam Jaan. It’s a true story written by Ismat Chughtai. I replayed the same role in my debut film, ‘Lihaaf.’ Theatre has helped me immensely in understanding characters, building their backstory, and staying focused.”
She says that theatre has changed her as a person as well. “Despite experiencing stage fright numerous times, I’ve learned to overcome it by being quiet and being in silence before performances. Watching plays by Nasurriddin Shah, Ratna Pathak, Ismat Chughtai, Vinay Pathak, Rajit Kapoor, Rajat Kapoor, Shabana Azmi (in ‘The Broken Mirror’), and Kalki has been inspiring,” she says.
Talking about her current plans, she says, “While I’d love to continue doing theatre, I’m currently focusing on films. Once I establish myself in the film industry, I hope to strike a balance between theatre and films, akin to actors like Ratna Pathak and Nasurruddin Shah. Although theatre can be grand, I find joy in intimate spaces like Prithvi, where the audience is close, and actors don’t rely on microphones. I’ve also enjoyed performances in black box theatres like Veda Factory and Harqat Studio . While big productions like ‘Mughl-e-Azam,’ ‘The Lion King,’ and ‘The Phantom of the Opera’ attract large audiences and pay well, the true pleasure lies in smaller, more intimate settings. One theatre actor I admire greatly is Geetanjali Kulkarni; her performances are simply astounding.”
