Life beyond advertising: Samhita Bakre, on being an actor

(Life beyond advertising is a weekly feature, where we feature advertising’s interesting people; people who do crazy, creative things after working hours. We try and understand their passion and drive for what they do, what makes them tick and what it takes to wear multiple hats. If you fit the above description to the tee and would like to be featured, write to us at_ mukta.lad@web18.in .)_ This week, we spoke to Samhita Bakre, vice president at OMD India, for ‘Life beyond advertising’.

If you fit the above description to the tee and would like to be featured, write to us at_ mukta.lad@web18.in .)_

This week, we spoke to Samhita Bakre, vice president at OMD India, for ‘Life beyond advertising’. Bakre is an accomplished Marathi theatre actor, and has acted in several Marathi plays over the years.

In this interview, she tells_Firstbiz_ about her entry into the world of theatre, what about keeps her driven and how she strikes the proverbial balance between work and her passion.

Read on for more…

How did you get into acting and theatre?

My love for theatre is something that I have entirely gotten from my father. It feels like I began watching plays ever since I was born! My father was extremely enthusiastic about theatre and inducted us (my sister and me) into it right from the time we were kids, with ‘bal-natak’. In Marathi theatre, these are the plays performed by children for children, based on the topics relevant to them - Fairy tales, humour-based theme plays, historical plays or stories with messages for children, etc.

I first got hooked onto theatre as a viewer. My father was always on the lookout for bal-natak in newspapers. He even used to enthusiastically accompany us and sit amongst children to watch the play. Whenever he couldn’t make it, my mother took over this duty - she used to come to school to pick us up, and get ready to watch the play. We never even liked to miss the start of the play, and in the evening, we would discuss the play in great detail with our father. He encouraged us to speak not only about the characters, their acting but also the storyline, costumes, music, make-up and even the sets and lighting. This gave us an outlook to view performances differently, almost holistically. We appreciated different aspects of the art, right from the start.

My first brush with acting might just be the times all us cousins performed plays at my maternal grandmother’s house during vacations. But my ‘official’ entry into theatre happened when I was nine years old. It was a rather small part - a dream sequence where I played a goddess and appeared in the lead character’s dream to offer him blessings. There were barely two-three lines for me to say, but I didn’t mind it at all!

Where does your journey as an actor stand today? What are the plays that you have acted in?

I have always dabbled in amateur theatre and participated in competitions, be it Maharashtra state level competition or the ones hosted by some private theatre academies. I also participate in a lot of mono-acting competitions. I did not really get into a professional theatre line. For the last few years, although I am still connected to theatre groups, I have not acted in plays for some years now. As an actor, I still have to do lots of things, try different roles. I want to try some central roles where the storyline revolves around a woman; I would definitely love to portray a strong character with great scope for exhibiting avariety of emotions.

I have acted in many plays primarily in Marathi. As a child I acted in Bandh Futla, Jaducha Shankh, Rajkanyechi Sawli Harawli, Himagauri Ani Saat Butke etc. Later, I acted in Radhi, Bhumika, No Exit, Sawai Madhavrav hyancha mrutyu, Kholi no. 5, Prayog kramank 99,999 among others.

What about theatre keeps you driven, considering there is obviously lesser monetary compensation and no instant exposur or recognition as opposed to film and TV?

Oh for me it’s not about the money at all, simply because I have not looked at it as my profession. Theatre gives you a different high which neither TV, nor films can give you, because it’s a live performance. You get live reactions, good or bad, right there. You hear praises from the people who come to see you in the green room right after the show or sometimes even during intervals. Nothing can be more encouraging than that.

For me, it’s not only related to what I do, hear, see or get from being on stage. The entire process of the play, including rehearsals, is an amazing journey. You will be working on your entries and exits from different wings, or remembering the dialogues, right before the curtains open and the bell rings for the third and the last time. Hereon, the only sound that’s allowed is the one that’s pertaining to the play. To me, this overall miraculous experience drives me.

What is the most tedious or challenging part about this, in your opinion?

The most tedious part is that it needs one to commit for a pretty long period including rehearsals and shows. First you need to rehearse for 2-3 months. That means ensuring that everyone is available and travelling to wherever the show is. Odd days, odd working hours are common and weekends invariably are the busiest because it draws larger audiences.

How do you a strike a balance between the demands of theatre and your job/personal life?

It’s difficult! Advertising is not a 9 to 5 job. We end up working late nights and the worst days are the ones when we work till early morning. Even when we’re not working, the thinking cap is always on.

In such a scenario the passion to do something different in addition to your job is the only thing that can push you this far. At the same time you need to love your job enough to want to return to it. I firmly believe that both theatre and advertising are for passionate people. May be passionate could be read as “Mad” here… because you have to be mad enough to balance it with great will power, good health and stamina. It’s like switching between two characters you love–an advertising professional and theatre enthusiast. You have to be mad to do it.

Could you tell us a fun/memorable incident from one of your rehearsals or moments on stage?

There are so many! But I will tell you one major one which I will never forget. It wasn’t funny when it happened but it sure is memorable. In one of the plays, we were only three actors - two male leads and one female lead - with a plotline that resembled the movie Saajan.

The climax was a very intense scene where I had to give both guys a piece of my mind. The guys hadn’t rehearsed well and my worst fears came true! Both of them stopped saying their lines because they couldn’t remember them. For a second I didn’t know what to do but luckily I knew their lines well. So I reconstructed their sentences on the spot. Despite the chaos, I won the third prize for acting in that competition, which is dedicated entirely to presence of mind.

Liked ‘Life beyondadvertising’? Read about the people featured previously, here.