I love being true to the moment: Mukti Mohan

Even though she has made a name for herself as a contemporary dancer as well as a small screen and web series artiste, Mukti Mohan is a passionate theatre artiste. The Inmates actress is currently working on Puja Sarup and Sheena Khalid’s The Gentlemen’s Club AKA Tape — a provocative tale of women and their celebration of masculinity. With Mumbai’s thriving underground club scene as its backdrop, it follows the lives of various drag kings or female performers who dress up and act as men, exaggerating the masculine mannerisms. Mukti, who is singer Neeti Mohan and dancer-actress Shakti Mohan’s sister, is also working in Puja and Sheena’s other production Ila (based on an excerpt from The Pregnant King by Devdutt Pattanaik) and Akarsh Khurana’s One Night Only. She talks to us about what motivates her to keep coming back to the stage.

What led you to The Gentlemen’s Club...? 

While devising Ila, I figured out the character of Harpal Singh, which was a delight to essay. The directors enjoyed it so much that they cast me in this one, too. I landed the part just one day before the first show.

Tell us more about your character in this play...

Harpal Singh is a banker by profession who is grumpy and doesn’t want to dance but ends up doing so to spread happiness around. I’m the highest paid performer in the underground club.

What’s the most challenging part of playing a drag king?

I had to portray the character in such a way that my gender and sexuality didn’t hinder my performance. I had to play a man and not let the dancer in me seem feminine. The workshops helped bring out the Dilli ka Sardar boy in me (laughs). Before each show, I don’t know what I am going to do but once I have the pagdi and bun net on, I go all out. That’s the magic of playing a drag king.

Did your background in dance and music make things easier?

It was easier to do the play but more challenging to not appear as a woman because I have trained in Bharatnatyam, jazz, ballet, etc. At the same time, masculine mannerisms like heaving the chest out, chin up, straight shoulders, etc was easier because dance can give you practically any kind of form you want to take.

The play is being performed since 2015. How has it evolved over the years?

The show was initially called Tape and we used to strap our breasts to play drag kings. Later, it wasn’t about men or women anymore, but our personalities and how open we were to jokes, singing, expressing ourselves live in front of the audience. The cast was comfortable in their skin.  There was a lot of interaction with the crowd and there are many changes to the characters who are more well-rounded now.

You’re more renowned as a dancer than a theatre artiste. What motivates you to be on the stage? 

I’ve been doing theatre for the past three years. Other than The Gentlemen’s Club, I have another play called One Night Only, which is produced by Akarsh Khurana. It’s based on Lord Krishna playing Mohini and I essay the role of the enchantress and will have shows from October 25-28. I like doing plays because I love coming alive on stage, being true to the moment and having a live audience right in front of you. You get to relive the character and polish your skills here. This has helped me in front of the camera, too.