Ashwath Bhatt is an actor, director, and writer known for his film ‘Haider’, ‘The Reluctant Fundamentalist’, Feast of Varanasi, etc. Highly acclaimed, he is a recipient of the Sangeet Natak Akademi’s Ustad Bismillah Khan Award for theatre direction, the most prestigious award for a rising theatre stars.
WT: How has been your journey of struggle in this industry?
AB: I don’t think in this perspective, the struggle for me is in terms of creative aspect, otherwise the journey has been good so far. I have been busy in theatres for a long time.
WT: So, are you a theatre personality?
AB: For me, acting is acting; for an actor be it theatre or movie. There is no such distinction between theatre and films, the fact is that theatre is not much commercially viable in India but films so actors tend to incline toward the movies. There are several Hollywood and few Bollywood actors who continue to do theatres apart from the movies.
WT: Which was your first break in this industry?
AB: I did my first film ‘Mahotsav-The Grand Festival’ way back in 2006. The film was nominated for several film festivals, though not released; it was critically acclaimed in the film festivals.
WT: Films like Feast of Varanasi, Gangster, Raaz Reboot, Phantom, Haider are to your credit but do you wish to do different characters?
AB: Being an actor it is a dream come true to get shades of different characters but not every time it is possible to be choosy and we end up selecting films in between. Many times films which are offered are not the one which is desired and at times you get that role you wish for. But there were times when I politely refused many offers.
WT: So you believe in quality over quantity?
AB: Yeah, because if I would have gone by quantity than I should have ended doing 30 films or more by now. Quantity is a short term goal but the quality is a long and sustaining. Vishal Bharadwaj, Buddhadev Dasgupta, Kabir Khan, Vikram Bhatt, and Ashiq Abu are some of the quality directors I have worked with. I am also fortunate to have worked with Mira Nair.
WT: How did you feel when you got the offer for the film ‘The Reluctant Fundamentalists’?
AB: It was wonderful when I received Mira Nair’s call for this film. She is an amazing person, very professional and fulfilled all commitments from her end. For few directors, it happens so that half of the acting efforts go in vain since the rule is chopped off on the editing table. She is an exception to this. It was a great experience to work with Mira Nair, who is calm and focused. The film was broadcasted on BBC recently and I received appreciations and accreditations and this made me realize that your good works irrespective of the length of your role will get noticed and you don’t need to put your effort in that.
WT: Your other side being a writer, tell us something about that.
AB: I am more into acting in films, but I write and I do it for myself. I wish I get the opportunity of directing a movie soon and writing is a kind of preparation for my long-cherished dream. I read a lot of newspapers, storybooks and I observe people on roads while I engage myself in conversation with them, knowing them better and including into my writing.
WT: Your audience or fans love you as an actor, so can when can they expect you as a director?
AB: This is a common question asked by everyone as and I am planning for this. I direct in theatre regularly. I wrote a play for children- ‘The Zero Story’, directed my first Shakespearian play, Othello, recently. Currently, I am devising a piece on Kashmir.
WT: Do you think the essence of theatre is lost in India?
AB: The problem is not that the essence is lost but that it is still not economically viable and is not an industry like in the west. There are few commercially viable theatres in Gujarati and Marathi but the content is a matter of concern. We are primarily storytellers and the theatre audience will rise if the content can be developed in an interesting format so that audience can connect with the onstage narrative. Unfortunately, theatres could not be marketed well, and one reason being that the content is used as propaganda. Performing arts from ancient times needed royal patronage either from King or Queen and in modern times from the Government but today Art is not the priority in our country.
WT: Tell us something about your association with The Red Nose Clowning.
AB: I got introduced to Red nose clowning while I was studying at LAMDA, London. On my return to India, I started doing theatre residencies based on Clowning. Last year, I started a pilot project on ‘Clinical Clowning’ in India at Delhi and Mumbai. The motivation for this comes from the visits I paid to different hospitals which has a serious setting though it is unavoidable it makes both the patients and their attendants scared and sad. So, I thought of starting with cancer kids who share their secrets with the clown (as they are devoid of friends), smiling with them and a lot more. If a child does not take medicine the ‘Clown Doctor’ helps to convince him to take the medicine, even the parents are happy to see the smiling faces of their children who otherwise are constantly under medical supervision. It is all about the quality of life and not the quantity.
We have already collaborated internationally with Goethe Institute and other institutions from the USA, Austria, and Germany but in India, the availability of trained people in clowning is a big issue or hurdle. Hence, I dream of establishing a training institute for the same.
WT: Being a Kashmiri, how do you feel?
AB: Till 1989 things were more or less fine until militancy started. Being forced to leave your home has been the hardest thing to deal with in my life. But beautiful memories of growing up in Kashmir are still fresh in my memories, I feel proud to be a Kashmiri. Though Sad to see the current situation.
Rapid Fire –
Favorite Play: Ek Mulaqat Manto Se (It a one-man show and performed this at many places around the world) and Othello.
Three Things you don’t leave your home without– Mobile, handkerchief, and wallet
Love for you is – Life.
Marriage planning – No time
The inspiration of life – Nature and real-life stories.
Upcoming projects: ‘Raazi’ with Meghna Gulzar, ‘In the Shadow’ with Dipesh Jain, ‘Dementia’ with Abhijeet Kokate, another untitled film produced by A.R.Rahman. And ‘Feast of Varanasi’– British films should release in India this year.
Your message to women:
Women have to struggle everywhere but they are powerful and strong. Just want to tell them- don’t compromise on anything, do what your heart says. It is your world and your life.
