• Abhimanch, an alumnus of National School of Drama (NSD), reminisces his days.
• As a student of theatre and recalls the classes and lectures by his dramatics’ teachers.
• Pankaj Tripathi visit was scheduled as part of the ongoing festival of plays, Bharat Rang Mahotsav.

This National School of Drama (NSD) alumnus’ eyes began to fill up as soon as he entered the auditorium, Abhimanch. Afterwards, he admitted that the mere fact of being at his alma mater was upsetting. “Is stage par anginat baar rehearse kiya hai,” “gire hain,” “seekhe hain,” and “sapne dekhe hain.”

The actor’s visit was planned as a component of the ongoing Bharat Rang Mahotsav play festival, and it reminded him of his time studying theater. The actor, 46, remembers his dramatics professors’ seminars and lectures, saying, “NSD mein sikhaya tha ki abhinay oxygen hai, nahi karoge toh marr jaoge”: “Radha Ma’am, props class mein wo bola karti thi, and when it doesn’t work, the prop doesn’t work at all. And the second-year students were perplexed when they discovered that they had 20 square feet of glass in their possession. Mujhe chhuo ya naa chhuo ya kaise meri handling karo ab main samajh gaya ki prop bolta hai, ki kaise mera istemaal karo.  “Toh wahi hai ki kayi saari cheezein hum chor dete hai sunne mein, padhne mein, ab bohat saari classes miss karta hun main.”

He continued by recounting a time when the late actor Irrfan explained to him how he went about answering the question, “What is acting?” “Irrfan ne kaha, ek baar kisi ke ghar woh gaye the aur unhone pucha ki acting kya hai, toh unka jawaab bhi yahi tha ki kya batau ki acting kya hai,” the speaker said. Glass rakhe aur bole aise hota hai performing, table par glass rakha tha paani ka, wo uthaaye aur paani pee liye. It’s both Abhinay bahut asaan and Abhinay bohat mushkil that are kaam. Pure sansaar and swayam are both examples of abhinay ko karne ke liye samjhna padta hai.

Tripathi first chose to omit responding to the opening inquiry regarding “what is acting.” “Main pehle isliye bhavuk ho raha tha kyonki mere do-char instructor baithe hai yahan,” he explained afterwards.

Overwhelmed with emotions

After years of graduation from the institute, he breathed in the same air, and his emotions were at their highest. He talked about his lessons from theater and film after having had the best of both worlds onstage and in front of the camera throughout the years. Wahan mazaa bhi zyada hai, chunauti-poorna rangmanch zyada hai, and Asaan dono hi nahi hai. Theater mein hum kar rahe hai aur humein sab maaloom chal raha hai, he continues. “Movie ko audience ne kaise receive kiya yeh 8 mahine baad pata chalta hai.

‘Hum thode udhand baalak the’

Pankaj continues, “Uss waqt hum thode udhand baalak the, kayi baar suspend hote-hote bache,” as he reflects on his time spent in Delhi. Hum nahi padh rahe the, uss samay kitni kamaal ki cheezein sikhaayi jaa rahi thi
He readily shared his love for Delhi’s Connaught Place when questioned about what he did during his breaks at NSD (CP). “Janpath se bhi, aur jahan jahan saste mein sab kuchh mil jaya karta tha, Palika Bazar se winter ke saare kapde laya karte the. Khane, peene, and ghumne Chawri Bazar jaate. Liberty Cinema par film, ITO ke paranthe.

Alag hi lagaav tha usse CP paas tha.”
NSD’s “paanch log gaye hai Bihar se” was said in 1997.

He remembers how his friend Asif Ali Haider Khan led him to NSD. “1997 mein ye NSD aaye they aur maine first year mein theatre 95 mein shuru kiya tha Patna (Bihar) mein,” the speaker recalls. Patna’s NSD was established in 1997, and it continues to this day. Patna’s tehelka mach gaya ki NSD mein paanch log gaye hai iss baar. Toh humein laga hum bhi kar sakte hai, itne paise nahi the, acting school mein jaane ke liye. Toh laga ki bina paise ke agar kahin acting seekhni hai toh wo hai National School of Drama, par uski taiyaari karni padegi. Wo senior aaye the wahan se.  Then in Patna, the usk taiyaari karne ke, ek aisa shehar hai 3-4 teacher hai, jo yahan aake kya jawaab dene hai, kaise daakheela lena hai, kya karna hai sab sikha dete the.”

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