Interview: If the West has William Shakespeare, we have Sarat Chandra - Ashvin Gidvani of AGP World

Theatre producer turned director Ashvin Gidwani, can easily be called the new face of Indian theatre. In the recent past he has showcased many what can be termed as breaking-the-code kind of stage productions. But what is interesting is that with AGP World, his premier theatre company he is bringing in a new corporate structure to Indian theatre.

Riding high on the success of magnum opus Devdas, one of the most translated as well as adapted stories from Indian literature, Devdas has attained a cult status.

But perhaps for the first time, the story is being told on stage from the perspective of Chandramukhi, the courtesan.

BWW talks to Ashvin Gidwani about his vision for theatre and Devdas

Theatre in India is still an acquired taste, appreciated by few like art. Would you agree?

Theatre in India is no longer an acquired taste, while it was about 5 to 7 years ago. But now audiences have embraced theatre and its various genres, right from comedy, drama, thrillers and a lot of creative experimental work. The design of theatre has taken its own form. It is divided into commercial theatre, smaller theatre and experimental theatre. Also, bigger shows are now coming to India that are international in nature. And India is producing its work which is now slowly becoming an export, touring all over the world.

How different is your vision towards the theatre scene in India and what are your future plans?

Our vision for theatre is a design by itself. We want to produce theatre in India that will help us reach out globally. Our focus is mainly on producing larger work which is from our culture and roots. So if the West has William Shakespeare, we have Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay who wrote Devdas. There is a whole amount of excitement that is being dedicated to enhancing our country's theatre image and prove the world what we can come up with. We are putting together medium sized productions, light weight productions, smaller productions and touring it not only in India but across 25 to 26 cities all over the world.

Tell us more about Devdas and more importantly why you chose to tell it through the courtesan's viewpoint

Devdas was chosen because of its rich cultural heritage and it has been done in many languages. But it was never done in theatre at this scale. Imagination and creativity has been dedicated to ask to important questions post Devdas' death - "What happened to Paro?" and "What happened to Chandramukhi?" And this basically gives you a new dimension. It has a universal appeal and it has a reach that can be translated in any language in the world. Even if we have to tour overseas and if there is a language preference, we can deliver on that and reach out to more audiences around the world.

Do you think that Indian theatre is heavily mythology inspired? Is there a need for more original stories?

Theatre is mythology inspired but it really depends on each producer, writer, director. To do any production today, it is important to be financially sound and it needs to be designed from that point of view so that it can sustain itself. You can do smaller theatre, but it could be a challenge to fund. Theatre can be a profitable venture if its planned and structured well. Also, it has to have the right numbers and a good corporate backing, that's how theatre can really grow its strength. Stories can be inspired, the work should be original.

What is your secret to theatre success?

My success with theatre is quite basic. Every show doesn't necessarily have to be a hit. But every show has to be worked in a way that it reaches out to larger territories. It needs to have a great content, original work and with a great amount of promise it can reach out to wider audience. But the crux is financial budgets, standard operating procedures, health & safety and the net worth that you have. Of course, if it is a brand or has a star it does enhance but if the content is weak then the star will not make any difference. It will never translate into business. People want to come out and be entertained. Devdas is designed to be an entertainer. With the visual delight it takes you from one point to another, from one world to another.

AGP World has international presence too. Tell us more about it. Can it be said that you bringing corporatization in Indian theatre sector?

Our international presence is based on the network that we have around the world. We focus on touring the entire Middle East, UK, Europe, Australia, New Zealand, Far East. Specific products or shows are made for specific regions but then it has to work in India first and then based on that we take it forward. Corporatization has been one of the pivots to the success of theatre but educating corporates and making them understand what theatre is all about is necessary. Bollywood is always preferred as a popular brand over theatre. So it requires a lot of on boarding. When we brought STOMP down two years back, we had to spend about three months on marketing and making people aware about STOMP. Only 35 % of the audience that came to the theatre actually knew what STOMP was, when we did the show. Lot of them had not even heard about it but when they saw it they were like "Wow!". We need to educate the audiences, it is an ongoing process. There is no thumb rule to say that a particular kind of production will work, you have to go with statistics, you have to see what works well.

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