THE CURIOUS CASE OF VINAY PATHAK

Is it possible to just be an actor without giving into the trappings of a celebrity, especially in the age of social media? What happens when a public figure has introverted personality traits? Decoding Vinay Pathak the actor who has mastered the art of self-preservation through his most personal work yet

- Ananya Ghosh

It is not every day that you watch a play for the seventh time and it still feels fresh. And it is not every day that you come across an actor like Vinay Pathak who ensures that. First staged in 2012, Nothing like Lear, Rajat Kapoor's unique take on Shakespeare's darkest play, King Lear a one-man show where Pathak, dressed as a clown and spouting gibberish-spattered Shakespeare, delivers a tour de force performance every single time, sometimes twice in a day, in front of a live audience. "It's like a musical concert/ recital. I have to find my note every time and play with it according to how the audience is taking it on that particular day. The most exciting part of it is that it's a different set of people every time, sitting there waiting for me to tell them the story. They don't know the story I am about to tell."

While mostly reliant on humour and comedy, something the actor is a pro at, it is also a nuanced exploration of aging, sibling rivalry, patriarchy, betrayal, and the disintegration of a father-daughter relationship. And Pathak plays it to perfection justifying his stalwart commendation.

In one instance, the mono act reimagines one of the cruellest scenes ever written by the bard, that of Cornwall gouging out Gloucester's eyes, and here more than a Shakespearean clown, Pathak is closer to Batman's nemesis, the Joker. Although known for his comic turns in now-iconic movies like Khosla Ka Ghosla, Chalo Dilli and of course, Bheja Fry, it is in the shades of grey, which he masterfully contrasts with his personal brand of genial charm, that he is exquisite. But, it is a space he explores sparingly on screen.