It’s all the rage

They have churned out successful plays like Class of '84, Love Letters and Pune Highway, among others,  in the span of 15 years. Two of the most well-known faces in English theatre today — Rahul da Cunha and Shernaz Patel — are in a mood for celebrations, given the fact that their pet project that took off 15 years back has not only attained the milestones they set but also surpassed their expectations!

Rahul chooses to speak on behalf of his team, “While we have had quite a lot of theatre hits, I would regard our greatest achievement to be the fact that we have remained together since the start of our group. We have all stuck together through the years. Despite the fact that there wasn’t enough money ever, we never got derailed.”

Shernaz chips in, “Since the beginning of our theatre group, we have always made sure we constantly evolve. There has never been a static phase for us. The process of learning and improving never ends.”

Both, Rahul and Shernaz agree in unison that apart from their combined vision, the next best achievement has been their play, I am not Bajirao, that told a tale of two old men on a park bench. And according to Shernaz, it was a trend-setter in itself, in English theatre in the city. She says, “It was a completely magical experience for everyone who had worked on it and also the audience who kept coming back for it. It was the first-ever time when Boman Irani delivered his best on stage, and we received  overwhelming feedback from people. I still can't forget all the disappointed faces, we had to turn away everyday, as all the shows ran houseful.”

While Rahul prefers to write and direct plays, ask him what his inspiration is behind many of his popular plays, and pat comes the reply, “My inspiration is Mumbai, the city we all live in, and the stuff that happens here every day. It’s much like how New York inspires a film-maker like Woody Allen. You can carve so much out of the constant ideas, events and trends that shape up in this city.”