Dilnaz Irani: It Would Be A Bit Biased Of Me To Choose Only Theatre Above All Other Art Forms

Dilnaz Irani has been one of the most talked about actresses when it comes to theatres. Not only has she been doing cinema actively, but she has been a huge advocate for theatre plays as well.

Dilnaz Irani was recently seen in Zee Theatre's ‘Shireen Shah’, which has got some of the greatest reviews from all over. As people from all over celebrate World Theatre Day on March 27, Dilnaz Irani speaks to Prateek Sur about her love for theatre, the impact it has in today’s times, and lots more. Excerpts:

What is the importance of theatre according to you?

I feel theatre, as a form of training, offers you more than what a drama school, academic studies, a workshop, or a film set can teach you. A theatre project gives you the experience that nothing else can match. It's not just the actual craft that you learn but also commitment, hard work, camaraderie and synergy that turns colleagues into your family. So, this experience is not just valuable for actors but people in every field and that is why now we have theatre workshops for corporate professionals where theatre exercises are used as icebreakers.

How is the medium adapting to changing times and change in consumption of entertainment today?

I think the perfect example of how theatre as a medium is adapting and evolving to keep up with the changing times is Zee Theatre. The fact that now a play can be recorded and is accessible to so many more people is incredible. Post the pandemic, people want to just sit at home and watch stuff and today Zee Theatre is beaming plays right into their living rooms.

Would you agree that theatre is more powerful in terms of its impact on the minds of the audiences vs any other medium?

Well, I don't want to be biased and say that theatre is most powerful in terms of its impact. It really depends on the content. If the content offered by the theatre is great then yes, of course, it's going to be more powerful, but the same holds true for cinema as well. Much as I love theatre, and owe so much to my theatrical experiences, I still feel it would be a bit biased of me to choose only theatre above all other art forms.