The grand old man of theatre: Vijay Padaki to direct a play at 76

BENGALURU: When Ranga Shankara was nearing completion in 2003, it launched an outreach programme that was supported by the theatre community, including the then 43-year-old Bangalore Little Theatre (BLT). Vijay Padaki, one of BLT’s founding members, persuaded MS Sathyu to direct a new American play about an assassination attempt on Adolf Hitler. As it turned out, Emil’s Enemies was Sathyu’s first English play. Padaki has since been planning its revival and the dream is taking shape only now. And, the 76-year-old theatre veteran is helming it himself.
After all, his enthusiasm, he says, is the same as when he joined BLT at a "ridiculously young" age of 20.

Those aware of the thespian’s repertoire spanning 50 years vouch for his understanding of literary and technical nuances, people management skills and aesthetics.

"Every skill comes only out of experience," notes Padaki, a psychologist and behavioural scientist by training. What’s more, he is a founding faculty member of the IIM-B, besides being a visiting professor for R&D management at the IISc. He founded P&P Group, a management consulting and resource centre. Among multiple pursuits that included photography, swimming, creating furniture and shooting firearms, only theatre has endured, he says. He credits British couple Margaret and Scott Tod, founders of BLT, for his passion.

Padaki has written over 37 original plays. ‘The Prophet and the Poet’, tracking letters exchanged between Mahatma Gandhi and Rabindranath Tagore, is performed even today. His fondest memories are associated with Footprints, a futuristic piece on environment conservation, which was directed by Robert Gardner in the USA.

Being one of the three "‘survivors" of BLT’s founding team, many call Padaki the face of the theatre group. But the septuagenarian believes the organisation’s charm lies in it not being founder-centric. "We have invested in grooming young people for higher responsibilities," he says. "My efforts are now directed towards our academic programme that introduces and sustains theatre curriculum in schools, trains teachers and creates public awareness," he said. American playwright Douglas Huff, who wrote Emil’s Enemies, says that he is in awe of Padaki’s work. "I have known Vijay for 15 years. He has an international reputation as a writer and director, and is one of the most prolific playwrights I have ever known." Huff will be in Bengaluru on April 30 when the play will be staged.