In the year when Akvarious turns 25, the youngest member of the Khurana family, Adhaar Khurana, has a candid chat on 'funemployment', being the youngest, the joy of collaboration and many things besides.
Okay we'll start off easy. Why theatre? Why film?
Of course the cliched answer to this sort of a question would be - "It's in the blood...It's the family business....etc etc" But I'd like to go with something different. I think it has something to do with me being an extrovert and quite the social being. I really enjoy engaging with people and exchanging stories/notes/ideas. What they don't tell you is that when you're in a rehearsal room or on a set, the most important skillset to have is that of 'people management.'
“Dad was playing Caesar and when you're a child it's difficult to gauge the difference between stage vs reality.
Basically, I'm good with people and I'm a sucker for collaboration, and there ain't no better playgrounds than theatre and film to do that.
What is your first theatre memory? As an audience or as an actor... And I know you're probably one of those babies who were carried to rehearsal rooms and theatres and so on. And you must have heard stories... But I want your first hand memory. What's stayed with you?
Couple of viewing experiences come to mind - Motley's Julius Caesar and Satyadev Dubey's The Magic Pill. The former stayed with me because Dad was playing Caesar and when you're a child it's difficult to gauge the difference between stage vs reality. So quite obviously when Caesar is getting hated on and is eventually assassinated (Spoiler Alert!!), I thought all that was happening to the real dude, and that left me quite scarred.
The latter stayed with me well because of the premise of the play - A man turns into a woman after popping a magic pill or vice versa. Need I say more. Actually, I will. While seeing the play, I was like 'WTF is going on here?". Only much later in life did I realise that Dubey Kaka's work was way ahead of its time, and that my parents were really cool to let us watch such stuff as kids. It helped in developing a progressive outlook in life.
What is it like being from a theatre family? And being the youngest, to boot. I'm the youngest in my family, but thankfully they don't know a thing about the theatre. I can't imagine being surrounded by these diggajs. How do you get anything done by yourself?
Quite joyful actually. There may have been some tension initially, when I started off, but over the last few years I think each family member has figured out what they bring to the table and what they're best at. So that less meddling and more healthy collaboration happens.
Okay those were the softballs. Now we're getting to it. How much of a role do you play in Akvarious? It's an inheritance. So how do you navigate being a part but apart?
I personally feel it's the best form of nepotism. I'm extremely content with the fact that my identity, so to speak, is attached to Akvarious. And I hope that never changes.
With regards to the role I play, it was established pretty early on that I'd kinda handle the relatable youthful plays that we put together. Growing up, there was this norm of sorts that 'theatre' has to be serious/intense, which is why perhaps the rebel in me feels that it is extremely important that we entertain audiences, and people leave our plays with a smile on their face.
Of course, if there's a take home for them after seeing one of our plays, then that's the icing on the cake.
“Basically, to me, work and fun are pretty much the same thing. There's no real need for a balance.”
You have a well-earned reputation for having fun. Both in the theatre and in life. Would you prescribe this approach for everyone? Does it get in the way of work? I don't mean to sound like Narayan Murthy, but I'm curious about your take on work-life balance. Or work-fun balance.
Absoultely!! That's why I call it 'funemployment'. Your experiences, in both aspects, are what actually make you who you are. And they help in creating stories. A lot of what you see in our work is borrowed from life, which helps in making content relatable.
Basically, to me, work and fun are pretty much the same thing. There's no real need for a balance. So I'm always having fun. Or if you were Narayan Murthy and my boss, I'd say I'm always working. Same same.
Can you give me a few things you look for while choosing a play to direct or to act in? Plot or interesting characters, or the possibility of working with xyz in this role...?
I suppose it's a combination of all the above factors. But I feel the collaboration takes top priority.
And you also now run Troika Production with Akarsh and another colleague in films. Would you say you're more invested or interested in one or the other? Is it possible to drive both?
Interest is actually there in both. But I'd have to say that investment is more in theatre, and that's mainly because it's in our control. When it comes to the theatre, we are solely responsible for what we put out and are the decision makers. In films, unfortunately that's not the case. The industry is full of wheels within wheels.
Coming back to your overall demeanour, you're rarely seen in a foul mood. At least, in public. Do you ever get irritated, annoyed, frustrated with people or situations? Name a couple of things that really get to you. And how do you deal with them?
Thank you for this. When I started off doing theatre, I was known to have quite a temper. Guess I've aged well.
I do still get irritated when I meet people who want to do theatre, with ulterior motives. You got to be getting into it for the right reasons.
“Akvarious is not a group. It's a community. It's a family. It's all about loving your lovings.”
Not many people know you have a degree in something quite as far from theatre as possible. Please elaborate.
I have an Honours degree in Forensic Biology from University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, Scotland. Knock yourself out. (If you do, I might find out how you did it!)
Was it a genuine desire to learn that, or a desire to move away from this? Or something else entirely...?
It was a bit of both. Was quite intrigued by the science, but was also surrounded by too much art perhaps.
One may think the stuff I studied are poles apart from the stuff I'm doing now. But that's not the case. Funny thing is that there's a fair amount of commonality. Our Forensics lectures, especially the ones about casework, were pretty much storytelling sessions, where us students would be taking it all in.
And now here I am, trying to tell stories.
Given your juggling between film and theatre, between writing, acting and directing, one thing you're not known for is being a watcher of plays. How come? Why don't you watch plays, and when you do watch a play, what has made you buy a ticket?
Such a dirty question. Hahahahahahaha! There's no right answer to this question. But I'll give it a shot. It's mostly to do with me. I'm quite a restless human and find it hard to sit in one place for too long.
This is a big year for Akvarious. 25 years is a massive feat. What do you think has set Akvarious apart from all the other groups in India, most of whom come and go fairly quickly?
Akvarious is not a group. It's a community. It's a family. It's all about loving your lovings.
Jokes apart, I feel like we manage to dish out a relatable and entertaining viewing experience quite often. That and the joy that creating gives us is what's kept us going.
And finally, what do you think the next 25 years are going to look like? For you, for theatre, for film, for an audience...
The dream is to have our own performance venue and community centre of sorts. Hopefully, that dream becomes a reality in the next 25 years.
UPCOMING SHOWS
Akvarious@25 Microfest
March 1 and 2 | All day
Tata Theatre, NCPA
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 first one is this weekend at the Tata Theatre, an iconic venue. We're doing some free events and discounted student passes as well. Swing by if you can.
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