When one thinks of Shernaz Patel, his acting in plays comes to mind love letter, blackbird And Sidhu of Upper Juhu Come to mind. She has been active in the field of theater since the mid-1980s, and has even appeared in films and OTT series. Apart from acting, she likes to be involved in other theatre-related activities, ranging from organizing festivals to children’s theater and voice training.

For the fourth time, Shernaz has taken up the role of programming consultant at Aadhyam Theatre, an initiative of Aditya Birla Group. It is now entering its seventh season. This year’s program begins with drama strange incident of dog at nightDirected by Atul Kumar, it will be staged on November 23 and 24 at St. Andrews Auditorium, Mumbai. The play is based on the popular 2003 novel by Mark Haddon.

Director Nadir Khan is the other programming consultant for this season. Shernaz says, “curious incident The story of a young boy and his family. It’s been a huge international success and we’ve been able to adapt. It goes into the mind of a 15-year-old boy, and the play features a lot of choreography, projection and sound. In this respect it is far above Atul’s alley.

Other plays selected for this season are by Sunil Shanbaug Horse,Shubhro Jyot Baraat Ki sniffer dogformer king’s go crazy and Nadir Khan’s Mumbai Star. Out of more than 80 proposals selected in the first round, 30 were shortlisted. Of these, a further eight were selected before the final five were decided. “We tried to mix genres and languages. we have a family story curious incidentRomance, thriller, satire and a dance musical. Being proscenium plays, we want them to be engaging and entertaining for a large audience,” says Shernaz.

Even while running the festival, Shernaz continued to perform shows Sidhu of Upper JuhuDirected by Rahul Dacunha and starring actor Rajit Kapoor. The drama produced by Rage Productions was founded in 1992 by Rahul, Rajit and Shernaz.

How does she balance her period and acting commitments? “I do many other projects related to theater because it is something I am passionate about. Acting is one side of me. But also for Rage, we did a lot of work to promote and encourage youth writing through Project Writers’ Block. I’ve done several writing projects myself. I am now doing a school project called Connections with NCPA. And I’ve just trained to be a voice teacher. I was acting major at Whistling Woods for three years. Sharing the joy of theater gives me immense satisfaction.”

Shernaaz and Rajit Kapoor are included love letters
Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

Shernaz’s association with theater started at an early age. Being the daughter of Gujarati theater stalwarts Ruby and Burjor Patel, she participated in plays since her childhood. “I didn’t see myself in any other field,” she recalls. I progressed naturally and organically, performing in school or college, then professionally.

He debuted with Anne Frank’s diaryAbout a German-born Jewish girl who documented her life in hiding amid Nazi persecution. She says, “It was actually produced by Rajit. He was at Sydenham College and I was at Elphinstone. It opened a lot of doors for us. For the first time we got a chance to perform at a place like Prithvi. For the first time, we toured outside the city. It was a beautiful play that touched the hearts of many people.

When she joined theatre, she got a chance to act in Mahesh Bhatt’s 1985 television film birthCo-star Kumar Gaurav. “To be honest, I wasn’t really thinking of getting into films,” she says. I always wanted my gear to be theater only. But I enjoyed the experience and working with Mahesh Bhatt was absolutely fantastic.

One of Shernaaz’s most memorable theater roles was that of Rahul Dacunha love lettersWith Rajit. His acting in Akarsh Khurana blackbird He also received the Mahindra Excellence in Theater Award (META), among other awards. “We opened love letters It ran from 1992 to 2019, so it’s been a long run. It influenced a lot of people. There was a certain beauty when we actually started writing the letters. This is a completely different thing for today’s young generation. But because it’s a love story, everyone likes it.”

blackbird It was about the uneasy reunion of a woman and a man, played by Akash Khurana. “It was a tough game and really challenging. But you just put your all into these roles and give 110 per cent,” she says. Shernaz’s other plays include Antigone, Arms and the Man, Class of 84, Six Degrees of Separation And the glass Menagerie,

Shernaz and Rajit inside Sidhu of Upper Juhu
Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

Outside theatre, Shernaz’s acting projects include Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s films Black And RequestRecently he worked in OTT series Shekhar Homewhich is the indian version Sherlock Holmesand thriller 36 days,

When asked about the challenges faced by the medium today, Shernaz says, “The challenges are the same today as they have always been. The economic struggle is huge. It’s hard to just do theatre. In fact, in today’s time, it is almost impossible for an actor or even a writer or director. Producers may make a little money, but it’s not enough.”

On the positive side, he is happy to see that today’s youth is keeping all doors open, be it theater or cinema or OTT or voice-over work. She explains, “When we started, many people used theater as a stepping stone to get into films. Very few actors like Naseeruddin Shah remained in theatre. Most simply moved on. But today’s youth are understanding the joy of every medium, because every medium offers something new.”

The second problem is that of vacant space. Shernaz says, “We still have only one Prithvi and one experimental theater in Mumbai. Yes, many new places have emerged in Aaram Nagar, Andheri, but they are not structurally strong. So your production is really basic. We do not get government funding. There’s no real support for it to become an industry.”

Shernaz also points out that things become difficult when one is trying to do anything out of the mainstream or experimental. “There are many other challenges also. When new people want to do theatre, they don’t know where to go or what to do because there is no creative process,” she adds.

Asked if many young writers are entering the field with original scripts, she says, “Then it comes to finance. If you’ve written a good play in college, and you see that OTT is a great way to earn a living, you’ll naturally get distracted. Having said that, there are young writers like Abhishek Majumdar, Purva Naresh and Sapan Saran who are doing good solid work in theatre. But we need more young writers.

When asked how she wants to guide the younger generation, Shernaz says that she plans to focus more on her role as a voice teacher. “The teaching I do is not just for actors. This is for everyone who uses their voice. I want to learn more about it because I think it can help a lot of people,” she says. This statement once again shows his love for this medium.