Gitanjali Kulkarni plays a man and a woman in Piya Behrupiya

Zee Theatre’s Piya Behrupiya is an acclaimed adaptation of William Shakespeare’s rib-tickling comedy, Twelfth Night.

Adapted by Amitosh Nagpal, the teleplay is directed by Atul Kumar. The play features Geetanjali Kulkarni as Viola and Cesario and she found the twin identities rather challenging to play. Says Gitanjali, “While playing Viola and Cesario, the most challenging part was that I had to portray a man but the reactions were similar to those of a woman. Also, whatever was happening inside Viola, had to be externalised as well. Those minute details and nuances were difficult to capture and it took me some time to get there.”

The actress adds, “I like theatre because I feel it’s an actor’s medium. I learn a lot about my craft when I am preparing for a theatre performance, and when I perform, I can feel how well I am doing or not by how the audience is responding to me then and there. I have been doing theatre for the last 25 years and I just feel at home when I am on stage.” Gitanjali has had a long association with Piya Behrupiya and one of her favourite memories is performing in London at Shakespeare’s Globe, the iconic theatre located on the bank of River Thames. She recalls, “It was the premiere show of the play and there was this moment when Viola came downstage to sing a song.”