Rukhsar returns to roots

"Theater is my first love"

Rukhsar Rehman, known for her work in films such as ‘God Tussi Great Ho’, ‘Sarkar’, ‘Bheja Fry 2’, ‘PK’, ‘Uri: The Surgical Strike’ and ‘83’, as well as television shows such as ‘Kuch Toh Log Kahenge’, ‘Baal Veer’, ‘Dream Girl’ and ‘Mariam Khan – Reporting Live’, continues to cherish her roots in theatre. She has also made a mark in the digital space with web series including ‘Gone Game’ (Seasons One and Two), ‘The Night Manager’ and ‘Haq Se’.

Despite her success across platforms, Rukhsar remains a theatre artist — and says she doesn’t mind if it pays less.

“Theatre is my first love. I enjoy every moment on stage,” she shared. “I’ve been doing theatre for ten years. My first play was ‘Nirbhaya’ —a testimonial piece directed by Yael Farber. We travelled with that production for three years.”

Recently, Rukhsar performed in ‘Bade Miyan Deewane’ and ‘Phir Se Shaadi’ —both comedy plays — during her visit to Lucknow. “They were very well received. Lucknow has quite a huge chunk of theatre lovers,” she said.

Describing the feeling of being on stage, Rukhsar added, “It’s difficult to put those emotions into words. It’s almost like being in love.”

Among her favourites is ‘Mamma Mia’, which she had the chance to see live in London last year. “I was bowled over by the way they produced it. Everything was just perfect. It’s my favourite so far—I’m a huge fan of ‘Mamma Mia’, the film, its songs and of course, Meryl Streep,” she said.