Tell Me A Tale

Director Arvind Gaur is adapting short stories by some of the best-known writers in Indian languages to the stage for Asmita’s 25th anniversary

- Sukant Deepak

After more than 30 years on the stage, you’d think veteran director Arvind Gaur would be done with pre-production jitters. But the founder of Asmita—India’s largest contemporary theatre group— appears to be on the verge of a nervous breakdown as he prepares for the troupe’s next show. Or maybe it’s just an act. “Relax, I am OK. This avatar of mine ensures that the actors’ energy levels are at their peak before the show,” the visibly hyper 54-year-old says.

Asmita celebrated its 25th anniversary in July. The group now has 250 members, and is renowned for its hard-hitting socio-political productions. But as he downs bitter lemon tea that he insists packs a bigger jolt that several cans of Red Bull, Gaur veers from one tangent to another, rather than discussing his plan to stage stories by Indian writers to encourage reading among school and college students.