World Theatre Day: Meet the Khuranas

In the play Super 8, Adhaar Khurana played Akash Khurana’s gay lover. In another play, Bade Miyan Deewane, Akarsh Khurana played Dilshad Edibam Khurana’s father. Now, all this would be just fine, except that in the case of the former, Adhaar is actually Akash’s son and in the latter, Akarsh is Dilshad’s husband in real life. “We give incest a good name!” laughs Akash, the patriarch of the Khurana parivaar, one of the few families that is actively involved in the theatre scenario in Mumbai. His wife Meera, too, acts and directs, and together, the five are known as Akvarious, which is a clever take on the initials of the men in the family. On World Theatre Day today, we caught up with the ‘dramatic’ family that’s been in the theatre business for the past 18 years...

How does it work, with all of you being in theatre?

Akarsh: Well, there are other theatre families as well, but I guess in terms of active involvement, we have been pretty consistent. For me personally, the company was always pretty much a full-time job. It needed a lot of time and attention. In between, there was a lot of juggling that involved writing for films and web series or directing a film. Dad was always around, but he also had a job. I think once Adhaar joined us and Dilshad came into our lives, I could delegate a lot more easily. Now, if there are rehearsals happening and I’m not around, then Adhaar is there or Dilshad is running shows on her own. So we have a very good system where we are able to step in for each other and let other stuff go on as well. 

Multitasking is a bit of a disease with this family. His CV (pointing to his dad, Akash) is unbelievable to look at. Dilshad is a psychologist, a homebaker, an actress and has written her own play right now. She’s (his mother, Meera) been a teacher forever, designed costumes for theatre and she’s now directed and acted as well. So, it’s a family that is not easily satisfied.

Akash: It’s a dysfunctional family with functional overtones (smiles). 

Was there any time when any of you wanted out? 

Adhaar: I totally bounced. I went away for four years, studied forensic biology. I was not averse to theatre but I think I had seen so much of it around me that I was like, let me try something else. At some point, I thought I should make my own identity in a sense, but here I am! Also, there was no hard and fast rule that we had to do this. Dad always encouraged us to do whatever we wanted. 

Would you have been disappointed if they had not gravitated towards theatre?

Akash: I lack that emotion of getting disappointed (smiles). It gives me gratification if they are gratified. I think that’s perhaps another DNA issue. They do stuff that satisfies them. In that sense it’s far easier than what people make them out to be. 

Dilshad, you were doing theatre even before you married into this family. Is it easier being in a theatre family? 

Akarsh: We met because of theatre.

Dilshad: It’s a lot more comfortable. They understand the timings and schedules and if you have a show that night and can’t cook dinner! (laughs) Also, the inputs you get are so much more enriching which I would not have got if I was not part of a theatre family. 

Is it easy working with each other in such, might we say, strange permutations and combinations? 

Adhaar: Yes and no. It’s like we’re having a laugh. There was a short piece I did where dad played Hitler and I played Heinrich Himmler, and he had to paint me in the buff. I mean, I did have my shorts on but another actor asked me, ‘man, how do you do that? How do you forget that’s your father?’ (laughs) 

Dilshad: I’ve done shows of Internal Affairs where I have romanced Adhaar. 

Meera, how do you view all this?

Meera: I enjoy it thoroughly (laughs). 

Akarsh: Also, while we work with each other, we also consciously work with others. One of the basic decisions we took when we started this company was that it was going to be freewheeling thing, people could come back to us and if they are coming back, it would be from a sense of comfort and loyalty. That fortunately is not something we have to work on with the five of us because it already exists. It also gives you the freedom to not work with each other. So when she (Meera) directed Tuesdays with Morrie, the two of them (Adhaar and Akash) were cast as the protagonists, not because they were related but because they were the best options for the play. 

Adhaar: It’s helping us get closer as a family (laughs). 

Is there a play that stars all of you? 

Akarsh: We were all involved with Tuesdays with Morrie, but not necessarily on stage. Mom directed it. Dad and Adhaar acted in it while Dilshad handled the entire production and I was lighting the show. 

Akash: There must be some odd show of A Special Bond, where all five of us were there. 

Akarsh: There have been some other combinations in some plays as well but the five of us haven’t acted on stage together yet. 

Akarsh, you’re directing movies now as well. Any chance of bringing them together in them? 

Akarsh: Yes, actually. They are all there in Karwaan, with varying levels of prominence. I’m in a photograph! They are there in my other movie called High Jack as well but my part got cut. 

Akvarious has done 62 productions in 18 years. What next? 

Akarsh: Honestly, we take it one production at a time, because every piece has a life of its own. For example, if something’s become popular, then we’d rather focus on that than clash with ourselves. When we started, we opened eight plays in a year and realised we were digging our own grave. We used to do 150 shows a year. Last year, we did 60 but it was a conscious decision. It’s like cricket. You don’t want to burn out too soon.