Theatre is my sacred place, says Jim Sarbh

It was his portrayal of the scary villain Khalil from Neerja (2016) that made him a recognisable face among Indian film lovers. But for actor Jim Sarbh, it is theatre that forms his “sacred place” where he feels “comfortable and more at home”. He says, “I recently met a lady who was a craniosacral therapist; she operates from the position that all irregularities of the body can be solved through correct spinal positioning. The theatre is a lot like that -- with the help of correct positioning in a rich theatrical plane -- I believe, you can fix all irregularities of the spirit.”

As a child, Jim often wondered if he’d “ever truly be loved” for who he is, which he says, might have acted as a trigger for him to venture into “show business”, and “to receive adulation and a sense of worth,” he adds. His love for theatre seemed apparent when he recalled how his mother watched his last play for the 15th consecutive time and still found it, “wonderful”.

Jim who has attracted attention for his performances in plays such as Death of a Salesman and Kalki Koechlin’s Living Room, feels he is rather disconnected with the Indian theatre scene lately. However, he adds, “I recently attended a play called Black Hole. It’s by Jyoti Dogra, and there are images that have stuck with me. Theatre really has the ability to do that.”

When asked about who his favourite theatre actor is, he says, “Naseeruddhin Shah is bada*s.” “He appears to sail through all the various outlets for an actor with ease and finesse,” explains Jim.

Jim, who is currently prepping for Bejoy Nambiar’s next film Taish, signs off by saying, “I am singing a lot of Elton John these days, I don’t know if that’s relevant.”