In life’s theatre, here comes a winner

Divya Palat’s story is one of those that could effortlessly lend itself to a piece of poignant fiction. The award-winning theatre artiste’s journey to fame is one that’s marked with several dramatic twists where she took every challenge head on and came out shining on the other side.

Divya was only three-years-old when she had her first brush with fame.

She says, “I have been in the spotlight since the age of three and have been adamant about what I want, since then.” She recalls an anecdote: “When I was shooting for a Surf Excel commercial, my parents had asked me to give it up since there was something I wasn’t able to get right. But I said ‘no’ and carried on with the shoot. And I have always been like this. I have been sure of what I wanted and been adamant about achieving it.”

She was only 14 when she took to professional theatre. “I started my journey with the musical Sound of Music. It was then that I realised that I loved the stage, and that I love to sing too. I knew that this is where I felt the most alive. It felt like I was in my element. The realisation was exhilarating.” While Divya knew what she wanted to do with her life, life wasn’t going to make it easy for her. In 2005, she was diagnosed with Acute Disseminated Encephalomyelitis (ADEM). “It’s an illness that is similar to the multiple sclerosis of the brain. The left side of my body had stopped functioning and I couldn’t speak anymore. I couldn’t even swallow. That was one of the weakest moments of my life.”

Divya had already founded her theatre company Balancing Act Productions in 2003. “I, Aditya (Hitkari) and a couple of our friends always wanted to start our own theatre production house. One day, Aditya and I finally got around to working on the idea and eventually Balancing Act Productions was formed.” Two years after the company was up and running she got to know about her disease. “I had a theatre company to run and there was not much I could do.” However, much like the name of her company “Balancing Act”, fate too struck a fine balance in Divya’s life. “That was the time when Aditya asked me to marry him. Come to think of it, it’s a harsh truth that most men would leave their partner if they found out that she might not be able to move again.  But here he was, asking me to marry him,” Divya says. She continues, “I realised that I wasn’t going to give up so soon. I was going to get back on my feet. I had a wedding to plan. I wanted to get married to this man. And run my company. I liked directing plays; I liked being a part of the entire process. I liked getting my hands dirty and there was no way I was going to let an illness take it all away from me.”

And she didn’t. With the help of her will power and a very supportive husband, Balancing Act began to roll out one successful production after the other. Some of their noted plays include A Personal War —Stories of the Mumbai Terror Attacks, The Verdict, The Graduate, Love Bytes, Starring U & Me!, and The Wizard of Oz. Speaking of how she is as a person, Divya says, “I’ve realised that I am controlling and moody. I have a vision of my own, on how I want to perceive a character as director. Acting doesn’t let me do that. With my theatre production, I get to do that.”

But none of this would have been possible without Aditya, as she reiterates. “Aditya is my support system. We share the same vision. I know I have him by my side, and it feels good to know that someone is already batting for you. Aditya lets me do what I want and enthuses me to try out new experiences. So even if I am busy with projects and have my doubts, Aditya spruces me to take it up. I’m glad I take it up because sometimes I doubt my potential but he doesn’t.”

After a long drawn battle against ADEM, Divya has recently been diagnosed with brain tumour. And she is putting up a brave face this time round too. “I know I will overcome this too.”