#PastForward: Kirtana Kumar is on top of the list of people who define theatre in Bengaluru!
For more than four decades, Kirtana Kumar has stood at the heart of Bengaluru’s theatre landscape — a performer, director and cultural force whose work has shaped generations of artistes. To speak with her is to witness the sweep of the city’s artistic evolution through the eyes of someone who has lived every turn of it: the idealistic beginnings, the experimental awakenings and the deepened sense of purpose that now underscores her practice.
Kirtana’s relationship with theatre began not through design but through instinct — a child’s impulse to play, imagine and create worlds out of thin air. “I became an actor and a director simply because I was a child who lived in my imagination and liked to create plays,” she says. It took just one perceptive nun at her school to recognise this spark. “A nun in my school saw this in me, recognised it as special and handed me over, age 15, to a theatre company called Gnatak and this started me off,” she reminisces.
From there, her life unfurled within the wings of the stage. “I have had 40 years of playing, learning text, reading subtext, moving my body like a chakkuli, working with strangers, directing actors, travelling to remote corners, experiencing life intensely, all because of theatre, so, no complaints,” she laughs. Even today, her journey shows no signs of slowing. “I played two challenging characters this year, Medea and Thessala and I’m directing a new work, so I’m happy,” the actress adds. But the shift from actor to director — one that would fundamentally redefine her artistic identity — came later. “I was an actor for the first part of my journey, but once I encountered the theatre of Reza Abdoh at the Los Angeles Theatre Centre, I decided to become a director as well.”
Her vantage point is rare: four decades of watching Bengaluru’s theatre scene reinvent itself, expand, contract and burst open again in new directions. When asked how the city has changed, her response is layered with affection and candour. “A lot! In some really cool ways,” she answers. “Many more interesting alternative venues, for one. Then there is a whole ecosystem of artistes who support theatre today — writers, directors, designers, dramaturgs,” Kirtana explains. She notes a deepening introspection, a richer engagement with the local and a surge in original writing. In contrast, her early years felt more spontaneous, less encumbered by the pressures and sensitivities of the present moment. “We were unafraid and all in for the wild ride, there was less political correctness. We depended on our instincts and impulses to see us through. We didn’t see obstacles,” she fondly remembers.
Her memories of collaboration are especially vivid, “the first play that I directed in 1994, we collaborated across the board, with Anita Ratnam and Samvada, with Dr Shekhar Sheshadri and NIMHANS plus artists, carpenters, painters. We were wide open, like that.” But passion alone rarely pays the bills — a reality that often shadows conversations about theatre in Bengaluru. Kirtana, ever-pragmatic yet fiercely committed, believes sustainability is possible. “In my humble opinion, yes, indeed it can,” she insists. “One just has to be prepared to work hard and with great rigour,” she opines. For her, the key lies in expanding one’s artistic identity. “To expand one’s idea of being ‘an actor’… and embrace writing, pedagogy, dramaturgy, direction and working in the social sector to earn a living,” she tells us. Some of her most formative experiences have come from exactly such intersections. “My most memorable field work was a year long Magnet Theatre engagement in Imphal, Belagavi, Telangana and Delhi,” she adds.
The romantic idea of simply waiting to be cast, she says, must be discarded. “The idea of being ‘actors’ who will be picked up by a director is flawed. One has to be autonomous, be prepared to create, to express oneself,” Kirtana explains. Her advice to emerging theatre enthusiasts is predictably unorthodox. “Don’t take any advice from anyone!” she laughs. Then, more seriously: “Only get into this field because you are consumed by it. Not for power, money or fame, they are fickle lovers… be generous, open, acknowledge the work of others, know whose shoulders you stand on for you absolutely did not invent the wheel,” she concludes.
Email: romal@newindianexpress.com
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