How did you get into theatre?

Theatre was a passion since school. I have been acting on stage since I was 13. My association with Alyque Padamsee goes back more than a decade. I have acted in all his Indian plays in English. I’ve also acted in some of Mahesh Dattani’s plays, including Tara in which my daughters, Aadya and Tarini, performed along with me.

Do you regret not having trained in acting?

No, I don’t. I did a three-month course at the National School of Drama but I think it’s practice that makes you perfect.

How did your theatre group Surnai come about?

I started Surnai in 1982 along with singer and actor Ila Arun, who has been a childhood friend. Surnai is a Rajasthani folk instrument and we formed the group to promote Indian folk arts.

We started out with typical Rajasthani folk theatre and now do all kinds of contemporary plays.

What plays are you busy with right now?

Over the past three years, I have been more into play-writing. I am constantly reading plays that can be adapted into the Indian context. I look for plays in regional languages and adapt them in Hindi and English.

At present, I am busy putting together a nautanki titled Nakhauta, written by Ila Arun. It’s a musical which is a little on the naughty or erotic side. The story is about a ceremony that women indulge in while the men are away for the wedding baraat which the women are never a part of. The play will be a part of Surnai’s weeklong silver anniversary celebrations in Mumbai in September 2008.