Even as a kid Ranjitha Sakleshpur shared a strong allure for the stage. And now at 21, this Bengaluru girl is permanently grounded into theatre, like it’s her second home.
A student of Christ University, where she studied English, Psychology and Theatre, she has been acting and directing since a young age, and recently she performed at Lahe Lahe to present her work to Vivek Madan and Akash Mohimin as part of the selection process for Thespo.
This talented young girl recently got selected to take part in the festival and will perform on December 16 at the Prithvi Theatre, Mumbai, which she has been dreaming of for quite a while.
“I did my schooling in Mysore and Kushalnagar, and moved to Bengaluru for my pre-university and university studies. I was a hardcore science student and changed streams during my graduation. I did my Bachelor of Arts degree in psychology, English Literature and performing arts, but honestly, I got interested in theatre as one of my earliest memories of play acting was the house-house game we used to play as kids. That was my introduction to theatre. Born in a musical family, I fell in love with bhava and rasa at an early age and did my amateur direction and acting early. I’m not sure about me being a professional theatre artist. Somehow that description seems limiting. I’m a serious student of humanity. When I reached the threshold of boredom, I decided to speak about the loneliness of a woman, it somehow seemed so close to me that I just couldn’t leave it unsaid. And theatre happened again,” shares Ranjitha on how she got drawn to theatre.
About her selection by Thespo, she states, “It was the locus of all the awe-inspiring stories I heard. It gave me something to dream about, to hope for. This hope and dream kept me going and I continued to hone my skills.
Performing at Thespo became oxygen to the drowning dreams, and I simply had to take the leap.” Last year, she went as a spectator, this year, after nearly 12 years without any Bengalurean in the festival, she will represent Karnataka.
Talking of her performance next week, Ranjitha reveals, “I’m super thrilled about my performance at Prithvi and am performing a piece I’ve created called The Show. It’s about who a woman is and what she shows when no one is watching, not even herself. When I went there last year, I was taken over by the aura of the festival, which seemed like a royal wedding! So many people, that I was able to get tickets only for one show called Chitti. I wanted to watch more plays but I couldn’t. It was disappointing but also encouraged me to see that a youth festival was completely sold out! AranYa’s Colour Blind is my all-time favourite. Challenges I face are usually about the balance between the playful chaos and the balanced organisation that theatre is. It is overwhelming.”
When the young actor isn’t performing, rehearsing or dreaming big, she states she’s a person who is interested in everything! “At the moment, I day-dream about farming. I write a lot and click decent pictures. I sketch and cook. I love maths and business theories to store in my neurological network. I also sing lullabies and tell someone stories and put them to sleep,” she quips with a naughty smile.
