It begins and ends on stage

Neha Kirpal

Much like her controversial film Lipstick Under My Burkha, Aahana Kumra’s new play, Dekh Behen, has an all-woman cast too. She plays one of the five bridesmaids catching up before a sangeet ceremony, sharing views on everything — from men and women to love, marriage, sex.

A presentation of Mumbai-based group Akvarious Productions, the play was recently staged at the Old World Theatre Festival in Delhi. Aahana says her role in Dekh Behen is very similar to the non-conformist person she is. Her character is non-judgmental and liberated. “She is someone who likes to break the norms and is empathetic towards other people’s stories. She is very vocal about what she thinks and feels and is not bewildered by things that happen around her,” she says.

The actress, who has been working with Akvarious for a long time, jumped at the role as soon as director Shikha Talsania approached her with the script. “When I read it, I felt it was one of the most relatable plays I have come across. It has the kind of conversations I would have with my friends when meeting them after a long time,” she says.

For Aahana, who came into the spotlight with Lipstick Under My Burkha, stage is where it all started. She began her career under veteran actor Naseeruddin Shah. During college, most of her time was spent at Prithvi Theatre. From helping backstage to selling tickets for shows, she has done it all. Her first play with Shah’s theatre company, Motley, was By George, which had a couple of stories by George Bernard Shaw. The notable ones that followed are Arms and the Man, Rebecca, All about Women, Rafta Rafta and Gadh-ha Aur Gadd-ha.

She also did a play called Sona Spa directed by Markand Deshpande, which was later made into a film. In the evergreen play Sir Sir Sarla, also directed by Deshpande, Aahana won praise for her stellar performance as a young student infatuated by her poetry professor. Her plays continue to travel to various festivals across the country. “Theatre pushes you to the limit and is a never-ending process in which you perfect yourself with every show,” she says. 

As she looks forward to playing Priyanka Gandhi in The Accidental Prime Minister, she says theatre continues to give her “that breathing space” between films. “At the end of the day, acting is a skill. If people don’t update their skills, they are abandoning the idea of being an artist….”