13 going on 30

"The challenging and interesting things find me at the right time." Singer, dancer, actor Garima Yajnik on how she finds work, the difference between acting and creatign music, and the privilege of being part of a family.

First question. Where did you come from? You suddenly landed on the theatre scene a few years ago, and now you’re everywhere.

I didn’t come from Mars, as some people wildly think. My first experience professionally on stage was in 2018 with a Wizcraft musical called Balle Balle, which had acting, singing, dancing, all of it; quite the dream project for me.

But I would not call that theatre in a sense. A lot of the focus was on the spectacle of it all, which is great and an art form in itself. But theatre theatre... The first time I stepped foot on the Prithvi stage was with Theatre Unit’s Medha and Zoombish, which was a children's play.

That really felt like theatre in the sense of a little more of a personal connection.

So you clearly have a definition of what theatre is for you. Can you elaborate a little?

While it is personal to all of us, I think there are some things that really define good theatre. In a very basic sense, I think it needs to communicate. We are live performance, from our heart to the audience's heart. It's a very direct sort of... art form. So, I think that what really defines it for me is the direct connection.

The venue doesn't really matter, the genre doesn't matter. I think if we can communicate the crux of our play, what we're trying to say to people, and also entertain them, then we've done our job.

Is this a factor for you in choosing plays that you will work on as well? That it communicates something meaningful and in a meaningful, entertaining way?

When you read a script, it either touches you or it doesn't. On the surface, it may seem like you're not saying anything. It may be about some clown in the middle of a fantasy medieval setting and there could be a lot of falling over and other silliness. That could be saying something deep about a political climate or about the human condition. we always tend to say something.

So when I read a script, I do think about the effect that it has on me and how I would feel as a viewer watching.

How many plays have you done so far? Do you have a count?

I should count. I'll count starting today. Because I really don't know. It’s somewhere in the 20s. It's not an astronomical amount.

Do you think about logically about your journey as a performer, as opposed to emotionally? Do you say that I have done XYZ things now I want to do ABC things? Or I want something different, or I want to work with these people… Is there that thought process?

There are two parts to it. One part is... I love the stage. I'm always like I'm so happy to be on one. So, one part of me is my inner voice is saying “yes, say yes we get to be on stage again!” I think we all have it – that part of us that’s just hungry and wants to be on stage. Because you can get something from any play, from any experience. So there's a part of me that's not at all kind of thinking about what do I want to do next.

But interestingly so far, I have seemingly attracted what I want to do and/or what I'm scared of; challenges present themselves pretty organically.

For example with Balle Balle. I was doing workshops and things at that time and I remember thinking - hoping rather - that I wouldn’t ever have to sing any Bollywood-ish numbers on stage. Because as a singer I'm very comfortable with the English zone or a jazz zone. And along came this Bollywood musical which required me to sing the most Bollywood songs ever.

Then, I've always wanted to do plays which have multiple characters. I really, really enjoy that (Peter Sellers is this big icon of mine) and I had this thought at the back of my head – that it would be scary, but fun. And Akarsh came up with This Time with three extremely different characters for me. So. The challenging and interesting things find me at the right time. Phew.

Moving seamlessly to Akvarious. When did you first meet them and how did that happen?

So this is one of those things that makes me sort of believe in serendipity. Dekh Behen was the first Akvarious show I saw and I remember thinking to myself I would love to be in this space. It's fun, it's communicating, making a point, it’s accessible - it's got all the ingredients that I love as a viewer.

I met Akarsh after but I was so shy that I couldn’t quite say anything of consequence. Then about three years later I got to audition for a show called Jugadistan. Not a particularly big part or anything; it was just one of the college students; a bit of a Bimbette type. But I thought this is a team I would love to work with. I didn’t talk much to anyone, I didn’t really know anyone, so I did my work, finished my scenes, thought it was a great experience and went on my way.

I'm very lucky that either Akarsh read my mind or read my vibrations (that sounds weird!) but a few months later he messaged and asked if I would like to be a part of a new play. This was There's Something in the Water and we've worked together ever since.

How many plays have you done with them now?

13. There's Something in the Water, The Verdict, The F Word, Small Family Business, Go With the Flow, Dekh Behen 1, Dekh Behen 2, This Time, External Affairs, It’s a Wonderful Life, The Tragedy of Ham MacLear, This is US and Excess Estrogen.

So you’ve done 20+ plays in total and 12 with Akvarious. That’s nearly half of your career thus far. What keeps you coming back?

I definitely feel more enriched, with every play I do. Whether it’s working with Akarsh or Adhaar or Akash sir most recently, it’s always been a great experience.  

From the get-go, it's been like family and warm and welcoming. From that very first play or very first reading, they make you feel so cared for and comforted, you are allowed to perform without that other baggage.

And that’s not just nice, that's extremely smart. Because if your actors feel like they're in a safe space, that's when you can really perform. If you're in a room where you have to worry about all that extra stuff, whether people like me or is someone judging me… Especially for a person like me who's a people pleaser.

So you have the AAA crown. You’ve been directed by Akash, Akarsh and Adhaar, and all in the last 1.5-2 years. What are the similarities? The differences? Their individual strengths?

One similarity is that the feedback is always really kind. I've not had an unkind word said to me.

I guess because they all act and they're all actually brilliant actors – they all have this tremendous love for the actor. And that really helps the rehearsal or creative atmosphere because I think when a director truly loves actors, it's never going to be like anybody versus anybody situation. Everyone is always playing on the same team.

Is there a funny, fun, or fond memory that you want to share?

Well. I have loads of mini embarrassing ones. I embarrass myself on a daily basis.

But I think the thing I will remember, even 30-40 years from now, is seeing us of us from This Time in our garb for the first time. Sid in his Vivek Iyer wig, in that moustache, Mantra in that Hawaiian shirt. And with a fake stomach, which is my pregnant stomach from the role I played in Small Family Business! Me with my fake bosom and blonde wig. All of us looked so ridiculous, we just could not keep it together the first time we saw each other like that. It’ll stay with me forever.

You had a crazy time at Prithvi a few months ago. You did four shows back to back of two different plays. Two shows of This Time at Prithvi and two of External Affairs at Prithvi House. What was that like?

It so much fun! In External Affairs I play 4 characters and in This Time I played 3. So it was like 14 switches in a day. I had a great time. 

Actually, I'm one of those people who really thrives on chaos. Maybe we all do.

I think that when actors are not left to their own devices or left to ponder, is possibly when we do our best work. I’m not saying I did my best work that day, but I had a great time.

I think there's something in that spontaneity and that urgency and adrenaline rush of just getting on stage and getting the job done that allows you to be quite free. I was thinking less. Maybe that’s the trick to having a great time. In plays and in life.

Now coming back to you. You read a lot, you watch a lot, you have a curious mind. You sing, act, dance. Is there a writer in there somewhere as well?

That's very nice of you to say, that you can in any way see that. Because I have the highest respect for writers. That's the backbone of what we do. The script is like the king.

So, I respect them too much to try and join that club.

I'm better with words when I'm given them. I would love if there were a script for life as well. Even when it comes to writing music, I'm also a bit heavy on the melody side. I can write melodies a lot easier than I can write words.

But never say never!

So you write music? What’s your default or go to style at the moment?

I'm still figuring that out right now. I've released just the one song that I've written and I'd love to continue writing. Hopefully for myself and for other people also.

Here’s the thing. When we act, we're used to donning so many different hats. And putting ourselves in different worlds.

In contrast, I think working in music is being the most you that you can be. And presenting the most organic version of you. And kind of creating one solid identity.

What that could be is something I'm figuring out.

What's that one song you've released and where can we listen to it?

It’s called Iraaday. It will be back on Spotify soon. So at the moment YouTube is the best place for it, I have this music video I produced for the song up there.

And finally, what is your wish for Akvarious, for the next 25 years?

If 20 years is a generation, they have spoken to a whole generation and then some. So I also hope that in the next cycle, we introduce more and more people to our medium. So many people I have met after a show say “This is my first time watching a play.” And then I always ask them, will you come back to watch more? And they say, absolutely. That's a big thing Akvarious has done!

I also want to give a big shout out to Meera Khurrana. The mother. Akarsh, Adhaar, Akash sir, are sort of the leaders, so to speak, of Akvarious. She is a fantastic backbone. The matriarch of this ever-growing family.

And I hope the family continues to include us in their adventures.

UPCOMING SHOWS

This Time

June 29 | 5pm

The Box, Pune

Excess Estrogen (Ladies only show)

July 13 | 5pm

Chitnavis Centre, Nagpur

About the weekend: Akvarious are celebrating 25 years of theatre. And while the anniversary is in December, we're doing loads of things all year long. One of the ambitious ideas is microfests, which are basically venue takeovers, where we do a whole of theatre and theatre related stuff and create a very packed weekend. The third one is this weekend at The Box in Pune. We're doing some theatre games, workshops, free events and discounted student passes as well. Swing by!