A theatre actor-director from Delhi, who now has his own production house in Mumbai called The Company Theatre.

Atul's quest for the roots of traditional Indian theatre took him to Kerala where he learnt Kathakali and Kalaripayattu. But that wasn't enough. "Unfortunately, we don't get adequate exposure to world theatre here. So I went and worked with the Sacramento Theatre Company in California." And spent two years with a French theatre group called Compagnie Philippe Genti. "We actually spent an entire year rehearsing one play -- and worked without words and a script, using puppetry, music and lights to tell a story. We even had to make our own property and sets."

What is his work like?

Atul has spent most part of the last 16 years acting and directing plays from the Theatre of the Absurd. "It happened by default, since my first play belonged to this genre. As most playwrights from this movement were French, I studied the language, read all scripts in the originaland even translated a few into Hindi."

Examples, please.

He translated and directed The Chairs in Hindi as Kursiyan. He's also done Moliere's Gentleman Inspite of Himself, Flying Doctor, Signarelle and Tartuffe, Jean Genet's Deathwatch, Pirandello's Six Characters in Search of An Author and Sartre's Flies. "As an actor and director, this form of theatre gives me space to use my imagination -- in both form and content. Realistic plays can be restrictive." Yet, he wants to try something else, perhaps Shakespeare.

What is he doing now?

Acting in Rajat Kapoor's production `C' For Clowns -- "the best example of what I learnt from Philippe". It's about a day in the life of a circus through the eyes of five clowns. "We -- my co-actors and Rajat -- have written it ourselves and it hinges on improvisation." Soon, he hopes to revive The Chairs, a double-bill along with Naseeruddin and Ratna Pathak-Shah's TheLesson.

His work on television and a couple of film assignments -- Govind Nihalani's Takshak and Sanjay Bhansali's Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam -- keep the home fires burning and leave him enough time to pursue his first love.

His guru?

"More than one -- Rajat, Philippe and my teachers in Kerala."

His grouse?

"None. Earlier, it was the fact that there is no money in theatre. But I went abroad and found it's the same story all over. That's probably how civilisation has developed on the cultural front."

-- Deepa Deosthalee