I'd have loved a theatre career: Siddharth Basu

By Subhash K. Jha Jun 5, 2007, 3:16 GMT

Mumbai, June 5 (IANS) He is known as India's supreme quizmaster but there is another facet of Siddharth Basu's personality - he is passionate about modern and traditional dance, loves drama and films and wants to make a career out of theatre.

In an interview to IANS, Basu talks about his first love - theatre - and why he couldn't pursue a theatre career.

Excerpts:

Q: How do you recall your early days?

A: I'd have loved to make a career out of theatre. In college I had formed a group with Barry John called TAG (Theatre Action Group). Lilette Dubey, Mira Nair and Pamela Rooks, who unfortunately is in coma for four months now, were also part of that group. Later Shah Rukh Khan and Manoj Bajpai joined us.

Q: Never thought of making a career out of theatre?

A: One couldn't do that then. One couldn't do that now, unless you are Shabana Azmi or Farooq Shaikh doing something like 'Tumhari Amrita'. TAG was young and experimental. I did 'Macbeth', 'Waiting For Godot'. I did try to make a living out of theatre. Then I went into my other fascination, films, and made documentaries. That's where dance came in.

Q: How?

A: Our plays were very physical, very choreographed. There were lots of big dance groups from abroad coming in. I was very taken up with them. Dance has always been a passion for me.... modern and traditional dance. When I was an impresario with the Taj group as an events manager, I'd get a lot of dance and ballet groups to perform. It would be terrific to work on something like 'Nach Baliye'. I've always wanted to do something like this.

Q: It's a move away from one genre.

A: But you know I've always looked at quizzing as drama. Even the originator of 'Who Wants To Be A Millionaire', whom I met up with, told me it isn't about the money. It's about the drama. How an ordinary individual copes with the dilemma of losing or winning money. That's the heart of the drama even in my 'Mastermind', which I've been doing on the BBC for years.

© 2007 Indo-Asian News Service