Actor Atul Kumar, made a shift from Delhi to Mumbai 25 years ago, with a sheer motive of living his dream of becoming a successful theatre actor, and then his hard work and destiny blessed him with best of both worlds- theatre and cinema as well. He became a household name with his remarkable performance in Talvar (2015), but for Atul, it all started back during school days at St. Xaveri’s in Delhi, when he participated in a play in an inter-school competition. “For the first time when I stepped on the stage, I felt I belonged to this place and since then there was no looking back. I later joined a theatre group called ‘Chingari’ and was mentored by K Madhavan, who was also my French teacher at JNU.”
Atul’s first feather of success came in when he established The Company Theatre (TCT) in 1993 with a singular commitment to performing arts. “We are about to complete three decades journey in the world of performing arts but when I look back, I see a lot of learning, memories, and contributions that we have been able to add to the magical world of theatre, which is very therapeutic,” informs Atul adding that TCT is a not-for-profit organisation, registered as a Public Charitable Trust with the Charity Commissioner Mumbai, India.
Atul’s latest performance in the Hotstar web series ‘Human’ as Dr.SnehalShindey has received a lot of appreciation. He admits, “To be frank, I said yes to the project because my friend Shefali Shah and I had the confidence that the story is in right hands. Gradually, when I soaked myself in the character and the soul of the series, I realised that the subject was dealt with responsibility and humanity and I guess that is what clicked the audiences and we as a team are really glad to see the response.”
While Human’s storyline has been quite intense and soul-stirring, for Atul, the most difficult on-screen performance has been Talvar (2015) and the way MeghnaGulzar presented it without any manipulation. He recalls, “I still remember, there were days when many of the actors would go numb in between the shots and it was surely the most challenging project for many of us associated with it.”
When the pandemic left many of the artists struggling for work, Atul and his team utilized the time to conduct workshops at their five-acre arts centre based in Uksan village- Kamshet, set amidst the rural landscape of the Western Ghats, which can accommodate 50 people at a time. He says, “I knew it’s a tough time, and to keep myself sane and my team, I made sure that we utilized this time and that’s why we shifted our base to The Company Theatre studio and it was a fruitful decision.”
In India, people often compare theatre and cinema, and that is what disturbs Atul. “It’s like you are comparing a doctor to a cricket player,” he states and continues, “It’s high time we stop comparing them as the spirit and commercials attached to each one of them are totally different.”
Atul calls himself a theatre actor, writer, and director, and wishes to do more in the world of performing arts, but is equally enjoying the OTT offerings. He admits, “It’s just the OTT is offering a lot of promising characters and has a lot more in terms of diversity, which excites me and I hope to do more and more remarkable work here.”
While cinema as a profession looks quite inviting to many, a lot needs to be done in the world of theatre to which Atul agrees and suggests, “I guess making theatre a part of the education system can bring the change and make it more inclusive for a promising future and visibility at the big canvas of entertainment.”
At present, Atul is busy with his latest theatre piece called Taking Sides and considers social media a boon, as it has helped him cut down the marketing cost of his productions and at a single click, he has been able to reach masses and have house-full shows, all thanks to Instagram and Facebook. He states, “Over a period of time, I have witnessed the power of social media and it has worked in favour of TCT.” “I hope the COVID menace ends soon so that our audiences are back to theatres and we can relive and enjoy the magic of live performances,” he concludes.
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