Nobody really has managed to figure out what makes Vijay Kenkre tick. But all agree that he is the happiest when he is directing a play, reading a play or watching a play. Today, after directing his 101st play, he is busy attending meetings at the NSD or teaching at Goa University as a visiting faculty. Not to mention, planning for rehearsals of his next two plays.
However, many years ago, when he regularly got Sachin Tendulkar LBW on his off-spin, nobody thought he would opt for anything other than cricket as a career. Vijay laughs when I say this, smiles and says, “You are not totally off the mark. Theatre in all forms makes me happy. And yes, cricket remains my passion.”
Theatre is in Vijay’s blood. His father was the renowned director Damu Kenkre, and his mother was the talented actor, Lalita Kenkre. Theatre, however, was not Vijay’s first choice of career. After graduation, Vijay enrolled in a law college, toying with the idea of being a lawyer or a CA.
Playing cricket for the college was a huge incentive. Cricket was his passion and that could have been a career choice as well. He acted in intercollegiate plays and directed a play based on Doll’s House as well.
He also acted in a children’s play, Indracha Aasan Nardachi Shendi, as the protagonist Narad. “I was always connected to the theatre. My parents were an integral part of the theatre, my maternal aunt had a theatre company called 'Little Theatre' that did children’s plays; therefore, my being a part of the theatre was quite a natural and logical progression,” Vijay says. “However, I have to admit that I was kind of a floater for the first few years after graduation till the time I realised that all I want to do is theatre and that too as a director.”
Still from a play |
During his ‘floating’ years, Vijay worked at the NCPA when P. L. Deshpande was the director. “Those years, probably, were instrumental in making up my mind,” he reminisces. “Dr Ashok Ranade and PL were mentors. Spending time with them made me realise that I must start thinking seriously about my work choices.”
NCPA also gave Vijay, the avid reader, access to various books about direction, acting and more. It enriched him in more ways than one. Vijay, in 1984, joined a group of friends in launching a theatre company to promote amateur theatre —Antarnatya.
It was in 1985, that he directed his first full-length play —Othello— a Marathi adaptation of Shakespeare’s sublime tragedy, for Antarnatya. The play was applauded by everyone and was declared the Gold Medal winner at that year’s Maharashtra State Drama Competition.
Picture posted by Swaroop Rawal along with husband Paresh Rawal after watching play ‘Khara Khara Sang’, directed by Vijay Kenkre |
That was the beginning, but the ride was quite bumpy. Quite a few of Vijay’s initial plays didn’t do well at the box office. There was a time when he was out of work. But he continued to direct plays for his group. He directed one-act plays, full-length plays and experimented with subjects and presentations as the group gave him all the freedom. Karti Premat Padli changed the tides. This was his first successful professional play.
Vijay is a self-proclaimed lover of mysteries. However, most of his successful plays are comedies. “It’s not surprising,” Vijay says after a pause. “The reason being the basic urge of humans to laugh and I love to make people laugh,” he elucidates. “Tragedies and comedies, farce included, are an instant hit because they are the basic emotions of a person— happiness and sorrow. Therefore, the audience can easily relate to such extreme emotions. However, one must note that directing comedies is more difficult.”
Why so? “Because comedies are serious business. Let me quote David Garrick— ‘Any fool can play a tragedy, but Sir, comedy is a damn serious business.’ It is difficult to make people laugh, easier to make them cry.”
Here, Vijay takes a leaf from his father’s life story. His father too excelled in comedies, and he too believed that a play has three lives. “True. A play is born three times — once when it is written, second when it is directed and third when it is performed by the actors in front of an audience,” Vijay explains. “My dad was my biggest inspiration. He was innovative yet conservative.”
Vijay’s other inspiration is Arun Naik (fondly called Dada), his neighbour and a mentor in some ways. “Dada taught me how to see and read plays, especially international ones. He is my window to the international theatre.”
Are adaptations easier to direct as there’s a benchmark to follow? “No. It’s the other way round,” informs Vijay. “Because there’s a benchmark, your work is always compared. Whereas an original play has no boundaries and nothing to compare with.”
Vijay Kenkre with his wife Mangal |
Was the feat of 100 plays achieved consciously? “Not at all!” Vijay exclaims. “I didn’t even realise I had completed 100 plays— one act and full-length included— till the time my wife Mangal pointed it out,” he confesses. “For me, directing a good play in the best possible manner is important. If it is a hit at the box office, it’s a bonus.”
Vijay admits that Mangal’s unflinching support has helped him achieve this record almost effortlessly. “She is a great partner.”
Any regrets? “Only one. I haven’t done as many political plot-based plays as I would have liked to,” Vijay signs off.
