Lillete Dubey: I am not motivated to do the online form of theatre

Lillete Dubey is thrilled that after being away from the stage for over a year, she got to perform live at the three-day theatre festival at Prithvi Theatre that wraps up today.
This probably was the longest she was away from doing what she loves the most. While she reiterates that there is no money in it, her love for the art has never wavered, over the last four decades of her career.
Talking about being back on stage, she says, “We were very excited to be back at Prithvi! Though theatres were shut for a long duration, whenever they were operational, the shows have been houseful, and that itself was a testimony to the fact that people were eager to watch live shows and theatre.After a year of not performing, we performed live this week at our three-day theatre festival.”
Lillete, who has directed and acted in over 60 theatre productions, has also been a part of films like 'Kal Ho Naa Ho', 'Baghban', 'Chashme Baddoor', 'Monsoon Wedding' and 'Zubeidaa', among others.
Reflecting on the tough time that theatre artistes faced during the pandemic, the actress says, “Every single person in the theatre field has been hit very badly by the pandemic. And not just financially, there is also a psychological side of it and a creative side that has been deeply affected. TV and films also suffered, but not the way theatre did because performing arts is a live medium at the end of the day. We can do as many online shows as we want or record and telecast, but theatre is a different medium. The core of theatre is telling a story around a fire, and so, it has to be a live interaction that is to be shared to be enjoyed.”
The pandemic did not hold back Lillete much, because she continued working for films, OTT and commercials. “As soon as things opened up a bit I was among the first persons who started shooting. Even during the lockdown I have shot in a complete bubble. What I’m trying to say is that we were still operating in some manner for these other mediums, but theatre was completely shut.”
The last two years have seen a glorious growth of OTT platforms. While the actress believes that this is a positive sign, she feels that the magic that theatre offers is something that people are longing for. “People have OD-ed (overdosed) on the screen and have watched and watched multiple OTT feature films, series, short films etc. It is wonderful that there are so many platforms mushrooming every single day because then it means that there is work for so many actors in the industry. All actors who have been under the radar so far, especially older actors, are coming out again, thanks to these platforms. Supporting actors in the film world are getting meatier roles and very nice parts are being offered to them. However, I am convinced that people still long to have the freedom of interaction that theatre offers. Theatre has been alive for centuries, for millennia and it will not die so easily,” she says.

When we ask her about the rise of online theatre in the last two years, she says, “Online plays do not excite me at all. Sitting in a room and reading my lines - that doesn’t work for me. That definitely is not theatre for me. But then maybe I am not with the times. I just am not motivated to do that online form of theatre.”