When she froze on stage in the 5th grade during a dance performance, Lekha Naidu never imagined that she would one day call the stage her home. Originally from Hubballi, Dharvaad, the Bengaluru- based artiste was thrown into the massive folds of Namma Bengaluru at the age of 16.
She came to study humanities in Mount Carmel College and it is at this time that she joined the National Cadet Corps — the reason she says she came out of her shell. “We used to put up a lot of skits in the NCC and that’s when I really came into my own and realised how much I enjoyed being on stage,” she recalls. But, the performance she counts as her first proper one was a 15 minute production of Blood Wedding, a part of Ranga Shankara’s annual festival. “It felt like homecoming. I remember saying my line and suddenly, my feet leaving the ground. I was hooked after that performance,” she reveals.
Naidu’s connection with acting and the stage is something that she is constantly exploring. “It is very spiritual for me. I use that word to describe something I can’t explain,” she says. It would seem that theatre has put her in that position on multiple occasions. The 30 something actress doesn’t just stick to the performance aspect. She has ventured out into writing and directing too; an experience she speaks of in high regard. “As an actor, one tends to notice only themselves and pay attention only to their scenes. There’s a bit of self centeredness there. But, when you’re involved from the outside, that doesn’t happen as much,” she opines.
Lekha and her partner Sidhartha Maadhyamika are currently translating a play from English to Kannada. They’re also busy preparing for a performance of Gida Giduga, directed by Karen D’Mello, on the May 12 at Rangashankara. But in the midst of all this work, she makes time for herself as well. “I love baking and photography. and playing in the mud,” she says mischievously. When asked about an alternative job, she said “I’d probably be rolling in money. I say that because as an artiste, it is becoming next to impossible to earn any decent money. And though I’d like to believe that the world lives on cake and hugs, I’d also like to pay my rent.”
But none of this seems to break her resilience. She is grounded in her passion for the theatre - “You don’t quit on life, no? This life chose me. I am always in the theatre mindset. When I haven’t performed for months, I get whiny and frustrated, but I find myself always preparing for the few moments I may get on stage in the future. It never stops,” she concludes.
