It is often said that life is too short to be lived dull, playing one character. Eklovey Kashyap took it quite seriously and made most of it at a young age. Eklovey is an actor, singer, director, producer, and co-founder of Hoot and a Half Productions. He has also co-devised Cyclogical as a part of the Bridge Week at Royal Conservatoire of Scotland. Here’s a glimpse of his journey as a professional, making the best of both worlds, as he narrates his saga with TMM.
You are closely related to the theatre industry. How did this connection happen?
It is the most intimate medium of storytelling. Nothing can replace the immediacy and thrill of performing in front of the audience. There is no scope for a retake so your preparation/rehearsals become almost like a meditative pursuit of truth. I’ve always considered it to be the most challenging, process-oriented medium and the most honest exploration of human nature. So probably because of this and myriad of other reasons I’ve chosen this as a career path.
From an actor to singer and director to co-producer, you have come a long way. What is your driving force?
I think over the years I’ve lost the fear of failure or the fear of making a fool of myself. When you stop taking yourself seriously, you end up making a lot of mistakes but sometimes things do work out. So, maybe being a little brave has worked out in my case. It allowed me to surprise myself and explore every bit of what we call life.
You have written stage and street plays both. How are they different and what excites you more?
There is a lot of difference between the two forms. Logistically, street theatre is even more intimate than other mediums, which sets it apart. The fact that it happens on the street is the most exciting aspect of it. You hold a mirror up to nature in the most intimate of settings and I think there’s definitely something powerful about it.
Having said that, I believe the stage offers an opportunity for the actors to live and embody human nature with all its flaws and strengths in front of the audience. It allows them to do so with much more nuance and rigor. It not only moves the people complicity involved in creating that experience but also moves the audience who have their imaginary forces at work. You have the unique power to create a moment and take everyone with you a journey.
It’s always tricky to articulate something which is so close to your heart but to answer your question; I gravitate towards the stage since it’s much more challenging.
One of your creations that is close to your heart and why?
I wrote something during the lockdown, keeping in mind the limitations and challenges of these strange times. It is currently being developed into an animated short video. Something I’ve never done before. I loved working on it since I’ve never written something for such a visual medium of storytelling. Especially with animation, where the possibilities are endless.
You have seen the theatre world in India and abroad too. What is your biggest takeaway from both worlds?
There’s a world of difference between theatres in the two countries. However, on an individual level, I enjoyed working in the UK slightly more only because it challenged me and pushed me to do my best. I learned about the craft at drama school and in a lot of ways it transformed me into the best version of myself. It’s much more revered and taken seriously over there. Over here, my biggest takeaway was that it made me self-reliant while making theatre.
Any dream project in your mind? If yes, give us a glimpse of it?
I love the idea when something is originally made for the stage gets developed into a film or a TV series. (Fleabag, Still Game, Chewing Gum, Chicago, Loads of Shakespeare plays). So in an ideal world, I would love to create something like that.
Any tips by Eklovey Kashyap for aspiring theatre artists or freelancers who wish to start their own production company.
I guess it’s only a matter of enjoying the process, believing in the kind of work you want to do and not thinking about the result. I once did a show with 17 people in the audience and it was amazing.
Eklovey Kashyap for TMM
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