'Inside, I Was Shaking': Kunal Kapoor Recalls Confronting A Goon At Mumbai's Prithvi Theatre

Mumbai: Hindi film celebrities are receiving threats – and how! But would you believe that, years ago, a goon tried to extort money from the staff of a place anyone who loves or lives theatre considers sacred?

The place is Prithvi Theatre in Juhu, which turns 48 on November 5. Its annual festival (Prithvi Theatre Festival), which opened on November 1, runs till November 16.

Speaking exclusively with FPJ during the festival, trustees Kunal Kapoor and his son Zahan Kapoor looked back on the theatre’s journey. Among the stories Kunal shared was one from the early nineties, when a local goon had begun showing up and demanding hafta from the staff.

When A Goon Demanded Hafta

“I found out that a local gunda was coming in and collecting hafta from the staff,” Kunal recalls. “One day I happened to be here when he came, and they pointed him out to me. So I went up to him and said, ‘Listen here, this place is like a mandir, a masjid for us. Don’t come here.’”

He didn’t show his fear. “Inside, I was shaking. I thought he’d pull out a gun. He just looked at me and left. He never came back.”

Kunal Credits Theatre's Honest Intentions

Kunal doesn’t credit muscle or connections for it. He credits the place itself. “The intention is honest, and the intention is pure. There’s no ulterior motive, there’s no benefit,” he says. “When something is that honest, other people eventually respect it too.”

Prithvi's Open-Door Philosophy

That faith in openness runs through Prithvi’s design, says Zahan. “When you enter this space, there’s no gate. It’s a completely open space. There’s no security check either, which is something we’ve been very conscious about maintaining,” he says. “It’s a psychological thing. Everyone who enters should feel welcome. You don’t have to go through any hurdles to feel you’ve been let in.”

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Festival Features Premieres And Performances

This year’s festival brings 13 premieres and 30 main-stage performances, along with Fringe shows at Prithvi House, six National Theatre Live screenings, three concerts and three workshops. Among the highlights are Motley’s 27 Seconds, directed by Naseeruddin Shah and inspired by Salman Rushdie’s memoir, and Tibet Theatre’s Phayul, which Zahan says he is most curious to watch.

In a city where stars now travel with security, Prithvi still has no gate.

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