The Rohit Shetty of Indian Theatre

No one said making money is a bad thing — but from theatre? Let’s talk about Ashvin Gidwani, and how he’s been doing exactly that.

- Arnesh Ghose

It is a common complaint in theatre circles in India that there’s no money in it, and that is not a baseless statement. Theatre goers are much less in number when compared to cinema, ticket prices have to be modulated, rehearsal spaces are few and stage rentals are sky high. Making a career out of just theatre acting or production is therefore a rarity. While most productions in Mumbai fizzle out after 10 or 20 shows, there is only one man who stands tall above the others, running hundreds of successful shows of his plays around the world. That man is Ashvin Gidwani.

I meet Gidwani at his Nariman Point office, where the most expensive real estate in the city is to be found. The fact that an Indian theatre company has a swanky office here would come as a shock to most people. I am given a tour of the space, overlooking the unending sea, and we settle down in a sprawling conference room with puffs, quiches and green tea. “We are always eating here,” Gidwani laughs. He is a tall, impressive looking man, in a well cut suit and a shining, bald head which does not seem to add any sense of insecurity. The excitement with which he talks about himself and his accomplishments borders on the pompous, but you warm up to his candour. I am uncomfortable in this corporate-like space, something I don’t connect with theatre at all, and my mind keeps wandering off, thinking about how stark the contrast between Gidwani and other theatre producers in this country is.