Zahan Kapoor, Aditya Rawal on why theatre is important

So are lsquonepo kidsrsquo really all that different from us normiesrdquo we ask Zahan Kapoor and Aditya Rawal ldquoWhat do you thinkrdquo they shoot back at usKapoor 23 who belongs to the first family of Indian cinema is son to actordirector Kunal Kapoor and photographer Sheena Sippy Rawal 29 is son to actors Paresh Rawal and Swaroop Sampath The normies or normal people are you the reader and this writer who like many other Indians are undoubtedly curious about the inner workings of the cinematic industry and filmi familiesTo answer their questionmdashwell they seem quite normal to us on the surface at least We meet the two at Juhursquos Mithibai College where they are rehearsing for 72deg East Productionsrsquos Siachin written by Rawal and directed by Makrand Deshpande The survival drama about three Indian soldiers stranded following a blizzard on the highest coldest battlefield on earth stars Kapoor and begins its run at Prithvi Theatre on June 15Aditya Rawal and Zahan Kapoor rehearse at Juhursquos Mithibai College auditorium PicAishwarya DeodharRawal arrive in an auto and guides us to the college auditorium which has been their rehearsal space for a while Both are dressed in basic tees and share a familiar vibe They last shared screen space in last yearrsquos hostage drama Faraaz inspired by a reallife terrorist attack that ravaged a Dhaka cafe ldquoThe medium is different the roles are differentmdash I as writer and him as actormdashbut in the sense of collaboration itrsquos pretty much the same in spiritrdquo Rawal thinks Ask Kapoor if being the playwright has made Rawal bossy and he laughs ldquoNot at all I tell him without hesitation lsquoNahin I donrsquot want to do thisrsquordquo Rawal smiles ldquoI am a screenwriter also When I do that I have no power As a playwright I might have more power but if someone is bringing to the table something that will enrich the play yoursquod be a fool to turn it down I see no value in being fastidiousrdquoIf Rawal studied dramatic writing at Tisch School of the Arts in New York and followed it up with a course in theatre at the London International School of Performing Arts Kapoor has spent his childhood in the corridors of Prithvi seeing plays take shape and working as assistant director in the film industry Both have been on the theatre circuit for a while and are now dabbling in films They hold each other in high regard having watched and observed the otherrsquos work while shooting for Faraaz ldquoMy opinion of him as actor has been bolstered by this playmdashhe is fantastic There is a reason why we are working together againrdquo says Rawal Kapoor returns the compliment when he speaks about Rawal the writer ldquoHe is intelligent of course and he brings well thought out ideas understands broad strokes and the nuances both He also genuinely listens to other peoplersquos opinions and creates a space where people are heard He is passionand outputcentricrdquoFor Siachin Rawal says he made a trip to the glaciermdashldquoI went to all the museums there read up books and accounts about it and spoke to real people who have been thererdquo Itrsquos a punishment posting this writer tells him the daughter of an exArmy man ldquoExactly But some volunteer too The point was to ask when you are stranded in the middle of nowhere what is most importantrdquo Kapoor adds ldquoWe wanted to know what it is that people hold on tordquoThe reason theatre is important to both is because they want to recreate an organic feeling of what art and artists are especially in a world dominated by AI and instant content ldquo I think there is no greater joy than being part of a collective human experience and theatre is one of the ways in which we can engage in a story It helps us get out of this scrolling frenzy To enjoy a story is to make sense of life and participate in another beingrsquos experience sharing it with others in real time As a young artist I am putting more premium on what is considered oldfashionedrdquo says KapoorRawal the more pragmatic of the two doesnrsquot believe in making art for charity ldquoEverything you do should be economically sustainable For example the right medium to present the story of Siachin was theatre not a 100crore movie Also with the advent of AI video and sound manipulation there is a growing desire to watch the pure human experience That is where theatre comes inrdquoWe circle back to them being privileged and wonder if they truly always wanted to act and write ldquoItrsquos more like constant poking for a consistent period of timerdquo says Rawal who playing football at the national level until he was in college ldquoOur childhoods were similar I went to watch my father at rehearsal my mother and I used to paint every Sundayrdquo Kapoor says things got serious when turned 18 ldquoWe grew up in an environment that was passionate about the culture and arts We talk about reading new music we go to museumsmdashitrsquos not a social networking household itrsquos a passionate one And so when I got to the stage I explored it organically And realised I am interested in itrdquo Rawal sums it up with some plain speak ldquoIt is beneficial being a star kid and you get to meet people you may not otherwise meet You may even get your first break But after that your work speaks for itself The aim is not to go fast big or strong But to keep at it as long as possible If you are getting gainful employment in the arts in the next 35 years you have had a decent enough career Honestly thatrsquos all I am hoping forrdquo