Double role

In another life, Rajeev Ravindranathan would like to be born as an actor and not juggle his life between two professions, as he is doing in this life. In this current life, he has been slipping into many roles - sometimes as an 18-year-old fascinated by his newly-attained manhood in the play Gentleman, sometimes as a corrupt cop and his hallucinations in Irvine Welsh's Filth.

Co-founder and Creative Director at People Design and Communications in Bangalore, Ravindranathan's dalliance with theatre started in his school. "I enjoyed being on stage and performing," he says. When he stepped into the world of advertising, Ravindranathan found many similarities with theatre. According to him, advertising and theatre are both about connecting with the target audience, and telling a story well. "Now, the jugglery has become a fine art," grins Ravindranathan.

Name: Darius Shroff, 59 (left) Profession: Senior Advocate Learning from theatre: The ability to deal with egos, be affable and make a tense situation light

There are many like Ravindranathan who are leading a double life, flipping effortlessly between boardrooms and green rooms. For veteran actor Vijay Crishna, Executive Director at Lawkim Motors, a part of Godrej & Boyce, theatre has been second nature to his corporate job, and a source of much satisfaction.

Age has not dampened the spirits of septuagenarian Alyque Padamsee, a well-known advertising and theatre personality. The former chief of ad agency Lintas who recently joined a firm called Planman Marcom as Chief Consultant, is currently doing a comedy play called The Game with Sabira Merchant. With this play, Padamsee has returned to acting after a gap of 20 long years. The play has been on for three months and his next performance is in Delhi in early February.

Name: Ravi Dubey, 55 (left) Profession: Strategic Corporate Consultant Learning from theatre: It is a microcosm of real life. Theatre teaches you about life, crisis management, coordination and team effort

Any play requires at least one month of dedicated rehearsals, which means putting in at least 2-3 hours daily. How do they manage? Says Padamsee: "If you want to juggle two careers, you must have plenty of energy to work 18 hours a day every day. Secondly, time management is important. And third, put your family matters on the back burner."

"You invariably find time out for something you are so passionate about, and most rehearsals are scheduled in the late evening so it is manageable," adds Crishna, who has been performing in theatre relentlessly for the last 45 years.

For veteran actor Ravi Dubey, a strategic corporate consultant, theatre calls for a lot of commitment. Over the years, Dubey has acted in several plays, both in India and overseas. He also held important positions in the Tata Group before he retired from the group. A selfproclaimed maverick, Dubey says: "Unless you are a maverick and unless you are a dreamer you cannot achieve anything new."

Name: Vijay Crishna, 65 (left) Profession: Corporate Executive Learning from theatre: Time management; working in teams; understanding people and their motives

Theatre is about many things but not money. Many look at it as an escape from tedium and the rat race. Darius Shroff, a Mumbai-based senior advocate, and Sanjiv Desai, Senior Partner at Transearch India, an executive search firm in Delhi, feel that now may be the time to give theatre a higher billing.

"Now, after having achieved a certain stature in my career, I am comfortable to get back to theatre," says Shroff, who has done plays like Man of La Mancha and a one-act show called I Want Coconuts. Adds Desai: "I love acting, and the feeling of being on stage. I look forward to getting feedback for my performances, and like putting in a joint effort with my team on stage."

Name: Sanjiv Desai, 50 Profession: Executive Search Learning from theatre: Improvement in communication skills; ability to understand body language and facial expressions of clients

For these moonlighters, theatre is also a great teacher - of teamwork, decision-making and coordination, time and crisis management, relationships, about life itself. "Theatre is a microcosm of life, and it teaches you everything," says Dubey.

Padamsee points out that he has injected the discipline associated with theatre into advertising. For instance, one has to be on time for rehearsals and at the office, too. A role in a play and one in a corporate milieu could not be more distinct, but there are a few similarities, too. As Crishna says: "The preparatory work for a play is very similar to preparing for a new project assignment in a corporate job. The only difference is that a corporate project can take longer than a play."

Name: Rajeev Ravindranathan, 34 Profession: Advertising Learning from theatre: Both theatre and advertising are related; you cannot take your audience for granted

Shroff adds that theatre has helped him improve his diction and speech delivery in the court room. "Thanks to theatre, I can raise my voice as loud as I want to, and can also lower it as low as I want to," he points out for good measure.

Pursuing any hobby seriously along with a corporate career is clearly not a bad idea. It can be a stress buster and freshens you up for new challenges in your career. And one of the best effects, say many of the managers-cum-actors, is that theatre keeps you grounded. You may be a senior manager in your corporate life, but at rehearsals and on stage all are equal as each plays his or her part.

Additional reporting by Anumeha Chaturvedi