Mumbai: Theatre and cinema are two intriguing genres of creative expression. The only similarity-both serve an audience, but the after taste they leave on the creative palette is different. While theatre is perceived to focus on ‘serious drama’ with infused realism, cinema on the other hand is battling with distortion of reality at certain levels. But what if we get the best of both in one platter?
CinePlay, the brainchild of Subodh Maskara, is a concept that gives you the best of both worlds. One would question the possibility of the same. The idea is to film a theatrical performance and reach out to audiences of both. “The concept is somewhere in between. It is closer to theatre except we are just watching it on screen,” says Maskara who has acted in a CinePlay with wife Nandita Das. The two are together planning to change the dynamics of theatre by blending it with cinema.
The concept is set to launch in Hyderabad with its first screening of Siddharth Kumar’s 'The Job' which is to be held on Tuesday, 30th September at Lamakaan. With this maiden take-off in the City of Nizams, Maskara is full of enthusiasm.
When asked about the theatrical inspiration behind this out-of-the-box concept, Maskara mentions, “Every person I meet is incredible in their own way. I love the honesty, dedication and the passion these theatre artists have to keep this form alive. There is this unsaid bond and rigour in theatre.”
Das and Maskara co-founded CinePlay as they were closely associated with theatre. They acted together in a play titled ‘Between the lines’ of which they had given many performances in India and abroad. Due to infrastructure issues, date clashes and other unavoidable circumstances, they could not perform at various venues. Hence, the concept came into being of making the play reach the audience despite of the absence of the performers. “There is an avid fan following of theatre. We have screened our plays internationally in Washington and New York and the response has been amazing.”
They have converted well-acclaimed plays like ‘Dance Like A Man’ and ‘Aadhe Adhure’ into CinePlays. “We are also trying to rope in two large multiplex chains and planning for a commercial release of CinePlay all over India,” says Maskara.
Being a brilliant concept in itself, the question now arises if the seasoned theatre performers would take the amalgamation well. “Theatre was divided in the beginning but now they are welcoming the concept. When T20 matches initially took off, Sunil Gavaskar was the one opposing them. Now he is the brand ambassador,” he jokingly mentions.
As for the audience reactions, cine-goers are taking it well. “We didn’t know that theatre was so entertaining,” said Sumedha Bansal, an amateur filmmaker.
Every new concept comes with its own set of challenges. It always takes a while for the old school to adapt to change. Although the audience for blockbuster films and theatre is poles apart, let’s hope this exceptional concept can act as a bridge to connect both.
CinePlay has hosted ticketed screenings at cultural venues – instead of cinemas - such as Mumbai's National Centre for the Performing Arts and Delhi's India Habitat Centre.
