Do better, do more ft. Dilshad Edibam Khurana
- Vivek Madan
- May 16
- 8 min read
Updated: Aug 19
"You have to be a bit unstable in the head. That's basically an Akvarious actor." Hear it from the horse's mouth, folks. Dilshad Edibam Khurana comes clean.
Usually we begin these conversations from the start of the journey, but I thought we could go in reverse chronological order this time. So. What is Estrogen Express? I understand you just opened the play in Goa and will be playing at the Rangshila Microfest this weekend. Share a little about what this play is, what we can expect?
Excess Estrogen is our brand new play that yes, we opened last weekend in Goa and can't wait to perform for Bombay audiences. This is a collective of 7 short pieces written and performed entirely by women. You could say that in a sense its the sequel of Bayan, a fringe play we opened in 2015. What you can expect is a lot of laughs, some tears, and a hellava lot to relate with, especially for the women.
You, like everyone else in the core team of Akvarious, are an actor-writer. How, after years of acting, did you turn to writing? Was it an opportunity that prompted you? Or something you had to say? Bit of both? Something else?
Yes, I only recently realised that along with Akvarious, its also 25 years of me in the theatre! Writing happened for the first time only in 2018, so 18 years after being backstage and on stage. My first play was Dekh Behen, co-written by Tahira Nath and me. The origin story we love telling is that we started writing it only because we were facing a bit of an acting slump and wanted someone to cast us. So what better way than to write for yourself. The others are just incidental (hahaha). Post that, I have written for a musical show, a couple of OTT shows, and of course Dekh Behen 2.
Many people may not know this, but you're a trained practising psychologist. Does this help in writing and performing? As in, do you use your training to ascribe motivation to characters, or unravel interpersonal dynamics in a play? Because that would be a super useful tool.
Yes I am! Though acting came first. But I always notice myself being influenced by both these skills. My training definitely helps me to get deeper into the skin of the character as they say, build rapport with my co-actors, and also understand various aspects of the story on the whole. And its pretty much the same when I play the role of a therapist as well. Rapport building is very important for a therapist and my years of public performance helps me do that with ease.
And does the training help you in understanding the people you work with? Because Akvarious is full of characters, pun not intended this time. Do you find yourself observing behaviour patterns and arriving at inferences as a professional hazard? Or do you try to keep it separate?
The professional hazard is that I am the free therapist of the group! About time I start charging I think. On a more serious note, I think I'm able to change hats pretty easily thankfully. So my co-actors don't get the feeling that I'm constantly watching and observing them (although I am ;) )
Let's talk about Dekh Behen. You co-wrote this, and its sequel, with Tahira Nath. Where did the idea come from? How long did it take to write?
The idea of writing a play came from us wanting Akarsh to cast us in play. When he didn't take us seriously, we threatened to write one that we can act in. Alan Ball wrote a play called '5 Women Wearing the Same Dress', and it had a terrific premise. this inspired us to write a play about a bunch of women at an Indian wedding. And you know with an idea like that, the possibilities are endless. I think we wrote it in about a couple of months but the script really evolved on the floor. The actors have added so much of their own flavour and made it what it is today.
Are there any scenes from earlier drafts that you wish could have stayed in the final production? Say more...
Ooh tricky question, but honestly, I don't think I remember. Like I was saying the script has also changed during the rehearsal process. In fact we recently did an update adding in all the improvs that we've collected over the years.
A lot has been made about the all-women team that made this play. What was it like to be in that room? And has it changed the way Akvarious is perceived by the audience, after years of being a boys' club, like many male-led theatre groups?
I may be wrong, but I don't think we started off with that idea. And the credit of that idea goes to Akarsh of course. Since the writers, directors and of course the cast were women, he thought why not keep it that way, because I mean so much estrogen would have been difficult for just a couple of males to handle, right? And that's one thing that's really made the play more accessible, more relatable especially by our female audiences. I remember a few years back, we did a 'females only' show in Nagpur and it was a riot. But it was also heartening to see the women really let their hair down, literally even, and be completely uninhibited. Having said that, only after many performances did we let some men in, in the form of the smaller entry in part 1.
Okay changing tack slightly now. 25 years of Akvarious. People have come, gone, remained, returned. What does it do to relationships, this long arc? Because people grow and change, and things are familiar yet new. What's it like navigating this?
It's the nature of the game I suppose, but at the same time a lot of the 'old guard' also still remains. Just a handful maybe, but there's Sid Kumar, Kashin, Adhir, Prerna to name a few. Enough for us to still be able to hold on to the countless stories we've gathered from shows, outstation trips, rehearsals, general hangs. We've had many sessions of recounting these to the 'newer' ones and trust me there are some crazy stories there. But the wonderful thing about Akvarious is that we've managed to amass the most weird, talented, like minded bunch of people over the years, some coming to us from different parts of the country even. So it feels like we've known these people forever. And the magnet is so powerful that once people stick, its hard for them to get away!
What is your role at Akvarious, exactly? What do you like about it?
That's a very good question that I have been asking since years. I am a 'partner' in the company. But in general, I just help out wherever I can, even if it's just by providing moral support and many claps. What I love about it, is being able to spend each day living, breathing and talking about something I'm passionate about, which is theatre. Being around the nicest people, and to be able to contribute in whatever way to the brilliance that is doled out.
Now on to your acting journey. You've done plays in Hindi, Gujarati, English. Not many outside of Akvarious in recent times. Is that a conscious choice? Or do people peg you as an Akvarious actor?
THANK YOU FOR ASKING THIS QUESTION!! I really want to scream from the top of the roof that I am an actor. Period. Always have been and always will be. While I LOVE working with Akvarious, I have done a large amount of work with other groups as well, and would love to continue doing so. So any theatre group producer / director reading this, please cast me!!! I promise to bring good food and good cheer to your rehearsals!
This seems like an opportune time to ask about the latest play you're acting in. 305 Galli Mantola. Can you tell us what the play is about, and your character?
305 Galli Mantola is the story of a house. It's very beautifully written by Vibhu Puri and directed by Faisal Rashid. The play is set in a lane in old time delhi. It talks about the characters and families that have lived in this house over the years. The play is set in two timelines, the 1940s before partition and the 1980s. We all play multiple characters in the play, another thing that will make it exciting to watch.
It's also the first 'proper' Hindi play you've done in a while, I believe. And this is a point I've wondered about. We spend a lot of time finding the right language for a piece. "How real people speak" is used as a point of critique and praise for plays and actors. What does language do to an actor's brain? What does it unlock?
Yes! The last hindi play I did was Ilhaam. I mean, the dekh behens have some hindi, but this is a completely hindi language play after a long time. And that's one of the things I'm most excited about as well. I am pretty fluent in hindi but its not my first language and not the language I think in, so its forcing me - in a good way - to be more focused, enunciate more and work harder to make sure I'm getting the message across. And that's what I think language does for an actor. We take our spoken language for granted which is why you see so many actors eating up words or losing clarity on stage. But when you're speaking in something different from what you're used to, it activates those dormant brain cells. Speaking of Ilhaam, we had a scene where we had to break into gibberish and it had pretty much the same effect. Had to work much harder on getting that right.
Is that one of the reasons you wanted to act in it? Actually, to broaden the scope of this question, why do you decide to act in any play? What do you look for in the play, the role, the director?
I am always ready to act in any play, doesn't matter what the language, or the script or the director. Just being a part of a play is an experience I can't have enough of
So is there such a thing as an Akvarious actor?
You have to be a bit unstable in the head. That's basically an Akvarious actor. And love food. You're doomed if you don't
Speaking of acting, do you remember your first ever play? And your first play with Akvarious? Care to share your reminiscing?
My first play ever was called Time to Tell A Tale, which was also a collective of short pieces. This was overall directed by Ramu Ramnathan, but some of the pieces were also directed by Digvijay Savant and Sunil Shanbag. It remains till date, one of my most favourite plays ever. My first play with Akvarious was for Writers' Bloc. It was a play called Edge. Funnily, Akarsh asked me if I would operate sound for that play. I promptly agreed and then very meekly added that I also act. Well, that paid off...
And finally, what's the dream for the next 25 years?
To do better, to do more. Create more audiences, spaces and theatre lovers across the world. Hopefully be able to say what we want to about things that matter in our own unique way
UPCOMING SHOWS
305 Galli Mantola
August 30 at 6 and 9pm
Prithvi Theatre, Mumbai
It's a Wonderful Life
August 31 at 4.30 and 7.30pm
Prithvi Theatre, Mumbai
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. And outside of the Microfests, there are shows nearly every weekend, across the country. Check out www.akvarious.com or their instagram page @akvariouslive for more details.
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