“I did not want to join or act for television or film. I would not get time for theatre then”, says Lucky Gupta, also known as Luckyjee among his followers and on Facebook, a middle-aged thespian who is so terrifically talented that he manages to perform single-handedly in any situation. Stage is not mandatory for him to showcase his talent and his love for theatre. He is in possession of such great potential that he has managed to pull off shows in moving train compartments and buses, drawing rooms, ploughed fields and in construction sites as well.
One of the brightest and the most dedicated rising thespians of a country like India which has a rich cultural heritage in the fields of performing arts, he spares a few minutes to share a few stories of his life with us.
“Maa Mujhe Tagore Bana De” is one of his street plays that has been performed over 700 times in about less than 5 years and the piece of work that has given him recognition all over the country. It was not easy for him to join theatre and make a living out of it, like it is in most of the cases in our country, but he put in that amount of effort, year after year. His shows do not have tickets, preproduction advertising or any “standard” rate. He lives on the voluntary donation of his audience after the show which he collects and moves on to his next destination, without any certainty of his next show.
“People spend hundreds for watching movies in luxurious halls, I accept what they contribute to theatre”, he says.
With a Master’s degree in Hindi from Jammu University, he acted in several groups for about eight years. Once a director made him wait for months before recruiting him in his group. His family was against his pursuing theatre and acting as a profession, like most of the parents of this generation are. He stood firm in his decision and in order to form his own creative group, he executed a workshop. Out of the 20 participants, only 2 stayed back and slowly, they left too, as there was no remuneration for their action. He set out alone with his act.
His journey was very rough since its initial days. “Once, I went to a school for performing and they had promised me to pay some amount beforehand. Later they did not stick to their word. They did not pay me or contribute anything after the show. I felt broken as I was not in possession of a single rupee when I came to the school. I came with hopes to get some money to last for the next few days and I was bent on not borrowing money from my parents. Therefore, not getting even a tad bit of financial help from them hurt me. The journey has to move on; I left the place to look for a new destination. As I was walking out of the school premises, a voice stopped me. I looked back and found a school kid running towards me. He stopped and placed a small pouch filled with coins in them. As I bent down to thank him, he asked me to keep doing the act as he liked it very much. That was one of the very inspiring moments till date.”
“Once I was travelling to Kolkata in a train with a friend. The lady sitting next to me greeted me saying that she had met me at a theatre festival in Kolkata and was eager to see my act. Her fellow travelers, who were teachers of a school in Kolkata, had the same curiosity and interest. I decided to put up a show in the train compartment itself, without having a clue how I am going to perform it there. But it went well; I interacted with people lying even on the uppermost berths during the act. I am accustomed to performing in vehicles now,” he laughed.
Maa Mujhe Tagore Bana De is a story of a young boy, who is inspired by his teacher to write poems. The teacher handed him a book of poems by Rabindranath Tagore and taking inspiration from that, he wrote a poem on his own. Fate has its own ways. Soon his father passed away and then his mother fell sick. Responsibilities doomed upon him so much that he could not make ways for writing poems. Then too, he did not let his passion go out of flames. He found Tagore and inspiration in everybody. And he set out alone on his journey. Simple yet touching, Luckyjee portrays this so interactively that it shoots right at the heart of the audience.
“The youth now thinks theatre is a way to fame and money. They shift from one theatre troupe to another without hesitation. They hardly understand that theatre is devotion. It is not just about the stage and lights. It is much beyond that. It is a “zid” that you never get rid of. Once I was packing my bag for the next show. My mother came in and exclaimed “Once again you are going for your ‘naach-nautanki’ with these torn clothes!” It hurt me and made me not to give up.
Another incident happened in Jaipur. I did not know where to perform. I did not have minimal contacts. Thus, what I did was go into a multi-storied building. When the guard asked, I said I wanted to meet Mr. Sharma. He sent me to Mr. Sharma’s residing flat. As the concerned person opened the door, I said about myself and asked if I could put up a show. He thought I was false and shooed me out. I kept on knocking almost all the doors of the apartment and all of them did not even have the patience to hear me. The security guard was called to remove me from the premises but an elderly gentleman stopped him and called me upstairs to his apartment. There I showed him my file containing my personal details and show history. He asked me to perform in his drawing room. It was the first time I was performing in such an intimate space and for just four people. I performed with my best. They were awe-struck; I could see it in their eyes. His wife awarded me with five thousand rupees and handed me a number of corporate contacts where I could perform. See, it is the dedication and taking risks.”
“People today think they’ll sit and success will come crawling to them. This is just not that easy. It is tough, terribly tough. You need to put in your cent percent, not just for theatre but to achieve anything in life. Hard work never fails. Stage is not the end of the story. Stage is anywhere you perform. If you have that strong determination, even the nature and calamities cannot fail you. I have soaked in the rain, perspired in the heat for theatre. There has to be blood in the hard work. You have to risk your life, drop off all your inhibitions. The most disturbing fact is that most of the parents do not allow their children to pursue theatre or dance as their career in a country like India. My mother did not want to me act too. I used to conceal from my parents that I act. But now they are proud of me.
There is a notion that if one devotes ten years to theatre, they gain fame. I do not believe that. Potentials vary from person to person. The day I feel the show was good, I think I have spent quite some time for theatre. The day my performance disappoints me, I consider it day one of my journey and start over fresh”.
Luckyjee is an integral part of Rangaloke theatre in Jammu. With the count of shows of Maa Mujhe Tagore Bana De(MMTBD) increasing from 700 towards 800, he has built a new act of his called “Zero”.
“My work is my devotion. It is a protest against those who do not value theatre. It is a protest against those who do not let their children pursue theatre. “, he said.
He travels all over the country. From metropolitan cities to remote villages, he aims at touching the common people and bringing theatre at their doorstep. He plans on writing a book once he performs MMTBD for the 1000th time. We thank him heartily for sharing his stories with us and wish him all the best for his journey ahead.
This post is a part of our awareness campaign #MyCareerMyChoice. To read more posts from this campaign, please click here.
