Sanjna Kapoor-the force behind the upcoming Prithvi Theatre Festival-reveals what renewed her faith in Indian theatre and more

Flopping down on a stone bench at Prithvi Caf and sipping on a chilled drink, Sanjna Kapoor is where her heart is, at the centre of it all as the 30th anniversary of the Prithvi Theatre Festival-a tribute to Satyadev Dubey, the most hated and the most loved man in Hindi theatre-is all set to kick-start this week in the city.

Sanjna who straddles two cities -New Delhi (where she lives) and Mumbai (where the call of theatre and family brings her)-would love to be here more often now that her six-year- old-son Hameer "is able to handle his life better." Continuing in the same light vein, she points out, "Its good that I am not here, so I do not poke my nose in unnecessary stuff. There is an excellent team here."

Prithvi-under the guidance of Sanjna-has been in the forefront of nurturing new talent. "In the last two or three years," she says, "there has been an enormous growth and development of interest in theatre. I could pick up 20 people sitting here who are talented and would love to do nothing, but theatre. But it is not financially sustainable for them."

The conversation turns to contemporary trends in dramatic productions. "The habit of picking up stories for theatrical renditions works only if you have a supreme performer like Naseeruddin Shah to execute them on stage. Otherwise they are cop-outs! Recent flesh blood is looking at tender personal stories; in a way it is old fashioned," she says.

The absence of political satires is a matter of concern. "Thats because we are bombarded with so much of political information that it is not easy to pick up or connect to any particular issue," she adds.

Some shifts in mentality have an impact on movements in theatre. "We are becoming incredibly intolerant," says Sanjna, who has seen the ebbs and flows in drama over the years. "We do not want to create a platform of conversation that is critical. Today, we do not have an actor like Naseeruddin Shah in the making. Naseer had Alkazi and he kicked butt and got results. Today, where are the gurus who will kick butt to get results? So, what are we producing?" she rues.

There have been moments of despair in her creative vision as well. "Eight years ago," Sanjna recalls, "I was ready to chuck it all and vanish. There was no theatre that was thrilling enough, no people whose minds were engaging enough. Then slowly things came together as the effort to create a forum across the country took shape. In the last four or five years, I have seen around 10 productions that have delighted me."

Watching her expressive eyes and hands comes the inevitable thought as to why Sanjna-Shashi Kapoor and Jennifer Kendalls daughter- has not taken centre-stage herself. The moving force behind Prithvi laughs out loud at the suggestion, "I cannot do all things - act, run my organisation and look after my son and family. To be an actress, I would have to be in an environment 24/7. I will act in my next life and will also learn to cook!"