It’s a lazy Sunday morning at Tapri, with the scent of different flavors of masala chai occasionally tickling the nose, and team JWB is as usual excited to meet another woman achiever, whose journey began right here from the Pink City.

We welcome an acclaimed theater director from Rajasthan, Sunita Tiwari Nagpal, as she settles down for a freewheeling chat with JWB.

JWB: Thanx a ton Sunita for meeting us. And congrats for your play, Arth Dosh, that was showcased at Ahmadabad recently.

Sunita: Thank you. I must say that the experience was a bittersweet one.

Well, we smell a story here!

JWB: So, tell us bits and snippets from your journey in the theater world.

Sunita: Since my father was in the Airforce, I spent most of my childhood shuffling between various schools. But it is here in Jaipur that I fell in love with theater. You know, when the theatre was introduced in Maharani College for the first time, I was a part of that batch.

JWB: Oh…it must have been quite a heady thing! At that time, was it difficult for you to convince your parents that you want to take up theater as a profession?

Sunita: It was no cakewalk, of course. Our society is such that it rarely questions men and most of the time people have no qualms to judge women. It really doesn’t matter whether you know them or not. But in the end, I did manage to convince them that this was what I wanted to do in life.

As the steaming hot cup of tea came in, we continued our chai pe charcha.

JWB: And then you packed your bags and were off to Delhi…

Sunita: Yes, my time at the National School of Drama (NSD) has given me a lot of memories that are close to my heart. It was at NSD that I really saw theater as a way to express my emotions. From 1998-2002, I set up my tent in Delhi and gave every ounce of my energy to studying theater.

JWB: We’ve heard that first, you were an actor. When did you decide to don the director’s hat?

Sunita: (Laughs) Oh, it is probably because of my headstrong nature and the fact that I don’t like to be ordered by people. As a director, I am the one to give orders. But on a serious note, I have always been interested in direction because when you are directing you have the chance to bring the best out of the actors.

JWB: As compared to men, how difficult it is for a woman to leave her mark in the theater world?

Sunita: Even today when I come home at 11:30 in the night after a play gets over, I see neighbors raise their eyebrows. After almost 20 years in this field, if people still find this weird, then how can we expect that a woman who is a newcomer will get better treatment?

Sunita has also worked in Mumbai as an assistant director. When we asked her about her days in the tinsel town, she said that after passing out from NSD, she packed her bags and went to the city of dreams, where she stayed for the next seven years!

JWB: Tell us about your hubby. We’ve heard that you met him in Mumbai?

Sunita: Yes. At that time my husband was working as an assistant cinematographer. He has worked in many films, especially from the Bhatt label. After we had come back to Jaipur, he set up his own photography studio and now works on still photography.

JWB: Is it sometimes difficult for you, to manage both your household front as well as theater?

Sunita: It is all about time management. A couple of years ago, my son got ill with dengue and right at that time I had a play coming out. But I couldn’t give up on the play and in the end… it really took a lot of will to manage both the fronts.

Sunita, however, is not that optimistic when asked about the current theater scenario in Rajasthan. She says that there is a lack of unity among the people involved and this is why serious talents often fail to get the platform that could have helped them. 

JWB: What is your take on the youth? Aren’t they interested in theater?

Sunita: (Smiles) Actually, it is only the youth that I look up to while directing a play. They are always full of energy, and I really appreciate that. But there are stray incidents as well.

JWB: Like?

Sunita: Recently when I went to Ahmadabad, two people from my group backed out from performing at the last moment, saying that they needed the money beforehand. In the end, we had to hire a couple of local theater artists. I was really hurt by the incident.

JWB: Any specific actor who you would like to direct?

Sunita: It is my dream to direct Shah Rukh Khan one day! Let’s see; it might come true. Then, I also hold workshops to find young talent.

As we winded up the interview, Sunita tranced into work mode and produced a stack of papers that appeared to be scripts. Well, best of luck! We can’t get to hear about your next play, Sunita!