Far away in New York, Katie Holmes is winning hearts with her Broadway debut in Arthur Miller’s All My Sons, following in the footsteps of Julia Roberts and Al Pacino who have dominated the stage and screen with equal élan.
However, in India theatre directors are not too keen on having movie stars on stage. They feel Bollywood stars are ‘too indisciplined’ to fit into a stage actor’s shoes. Veteran theatre director, Alyque Padamsee rubbishes the thought that the presence of Bollywood actors can provide an impetus to an art form that commands only a niche audience.
He says, “The bar of good actors who can act well in both cinema and the stage has been set by stalwarts like Anupam Kher, Farooq Sheikh, Naseeruddin Shah and their likes. However, when film actors are just shoved into a play to try and get a hit, it brings a bad name to everyone associated with theatre.” He adds, “Blame it on the lack of discipline. Stage acting requires discipline that most Bollywood actors don’t have.”
