Suchitra Krishnamoorthi, the film actor, writer, singer and painter, has now turned thespian. Her solo play, "Drama Queen Refreshed," based on an excerpt from her 2013 bestselling memoir, was performed by Krishnamoorthi in Delhi and Gurugram on June 4-5.
In the play, Krishnamoorthi takes the audience through her famous and somewhat turbulent life. She shares her experiences in the years post her divorce from filmmaker Shekhar Kapur, and explores themes of friendship and mental health.
“I was looking for a vehicle to relaunch myself, something that would excite me and help me as an artist," said Krishnamoorthi to DH. "I was looking for different subjects but then, I decided to base it on my life. There cannot be anything better for me, as a performer, than to perform my own story on stage.”
“Drama Queen Refreshed'' is 80 mins long and Krishnamoorthi manages to make the audience both laugh and cry in a fun yet cathartic way. In fact, it’s a perfect amalgamation of a stand-up comedy and a musical.
“It is a showcase of all the talents that I have—my paintings, singing and acting. Nobody was going to allow me to put everything on one platform, so I gave it to myself.”
The play puts the modern-Indian woman in a new light, as it talks candidly about her life as a single mother with an aim to tell the stories of women.
“Initially, it was daunting; for over a decade, I was a stay-at-home mother."
Krishnamoorthi admits that it was overwhelming for her to be back in the spotlight.
"I had lost my confidence to come to work. But after moving ahead cautiously, I am now itching to go back to acting and am very excited about the next show. We, women, tend to give so much to our families that it takes a lot to find ourselves again. But now, I am happy to be back and to see the crowds flocking to see my show. It is such a validation of my efforts,” she said.
With theatre and films going virtual, it was a bold choice for Krishnamoorthy to opt for a physical show but she was clear that she wanted her audience to have a group experience where they could laugh together and sing along.
“Theatre is a different experience from film, and the whole point of it is to provide live entertainment. The ambience, the set, the mood—it is a completely immersive experience. I was against going virtual as I thought it would not do justice to the subject. I just wanted to go on stage and have a good time,” she said.
In the play, Krishnamoorthi has cast actors like Sujata Kumar, Suchitra Pillai, and Arif Zakaria, who are not present on stage but have lent their voices as her co-actors. She now hopes to do more acts of "Drama Queen Refreshed” across the country.
(Gurpreet Kaur is a journalist who writes on lifestyle, entertainment and culture)