Theatre, folk music my foundation stones: Ila Arun
Ila Arun talks about performing her new play Peer Ghan in Gurgoan and her love for theatre.
For actor Ila Arun, theatre and folk music are her foundation stones. HT caught up with the popular actor and folk singer who starred in a play, Peer Ghani, recently in Gurgaon for a quick tete-a-tete. Praising the Gurgaon audience, Ila told HT, “We took a chance of staging it in Gurgaon on Shivratri, because I was going to Jammu. Shivratri ke din aaye, badi samajhdaar audience thi. I got a good feedback. Ek couple hamare paas stage pe aa gaya, aur unka kehna tha ki, ‘aap humein tees saal pehle ke Kashmir mein le gaye.’ They had tears in their eyes. The audience understood the play and didn’t make us feel uncomfortable. Mumbai mein log beech mein telephone pein baat karne lagte hai. Restless hone lagte hai.” Impressed by the crowd she says, “Gurgaon has turned out to be a metropolitan city. I found it better then Delhi. I would like to explore the lovely restaurants and the happening places here.”
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Directed by KK Raina, Peer Ghani, an adaptation of Henrik Ibsen’s Peer Gynt, is based in Kashmir and had an ensemble cast. “Lot of people have the wrong notion of that films are just about camera. Unless you emote, and have the right body language, no camera can help you,” she says, adding on her theatre roots, “I belong to theatre and have given my life to it. Theatre bahut kum log dekhte hai. Acha theatre dekhna toh Bengal, aur Maharashtra mein hai. When I act in a play, I don’t live it and cut myself off. It’s like living a part for three hours which you’ve prepared for years. The enriching process leaves you with emptiness. Right now I’m playing different woman characters.”