'We are a three-sided see-saw'

Actor Shernaz Patel greets me with a warm smile as I enter her apartment at Pali Hill in Bandra looking relaxed in a dark peach kurta and khaki pants Dressed in a slate grey shirt and black jeans adman Rahul da Cunha gives me a wide grin from the other end of the room Soon Rajit Kapur walks in dressed in a floral white and blue shirt balancing a couple of bags in his hands Awesome threesome Rahul da Cunha Shernaz Patel and Rajit Kapur recall 20 years of Rage PicShadab Khan Even as they settle down I notice that the three pals cofounders of Rage a popular theatre company that celebrates its 20th anniversary this year share a warm camaraderie Over the next two hours they regale me with their lsquotheatricalrsquo journey how they complement each other and what keeps them going Irsquom Not Bajirao is one of the longest running English plays The beginning Rahul da Cunha RDC Shernaz Rajit and I first worked together in 1992 in Love Letters It was a huge success Shernaz Patel SP Around the same time we along with our friends Radhika Mittal Rahul Bose Kunal Vijayakar and Fali Unwalla wanted to set up a group Class of 84 celebrates its 10th anniversary this yearu00a0 Rajit Kapur RK So we came up with obvious names like curtain stage and players Then Rahul Bose suggested Rage It was a popular word in those days just like lsquoawesomersquo is today Of course over a period of time people have called us Ragey Reggae and Rangehelliplaughs RDC In March 1993 we staged our first production Are There Tigers in the Congo Rahul and I had seen the play in Edinburgh festival and got its rights All of us put in Rs 2000 and lost the money The play won critical acclaim but didnrsquot do wellcommercially Love Letters continues to be staged even todayu00a0 SP In 1994 we followed it up with a Neil Simon comedy I Ought To Be In Pictures It was an instant success RDC We had been in business for two years and were financially stronger Then we staged Irsquom Not Bajirao that went on to be one of the longest running English plays in India Later our four friends and we drifted apart but there is no animosity Giving back to theatre RDC Writersrsquo Bloc an initiative to discover train and introduce exciting new playwrights to Indian audiences started by chance in 2003 The Royal Theatre Court of Britain and the British Council BCL had organised a workshop in Bangalore When I asked the BCL why they didnrsquot have the workshop in Mumbai they said they wanted a theatre company to host them So I met them at their hotel and suggested we host the programme in Mumbai SP It was originally meant to be a training programme but when we started reading some of the entries we decided to turn it into a fullblown programme wherein after two rounds of workshops nine productions would premiere RK Today it has gained momentum because the audiences are craving to see new writing Looking back RDC There are three sections in our work first where we had a ready script and only had to cast actors second when we did adaptations and third when we started doing original plays SP We have been extremely professional and have never taken the audience for granted RK We have always infused new blood in our productions Even 20 years later theatre is still a lot of fun for us We donrsquot feel jaded It has been a fulfilling journey The three musketeers RDC We trust each other implicitly Though I wish we were a three men company SP Cuts inLet me tell you you wouldnrsquot have lasted RDC On a serious note Rajit is driven and Shernaz is passionate about her work And they will say that Irsquom a genius laughs out aloud My good looks pisses them off guffaws SP On a personal note Rahul is very witty and Rajjo Rajit is funny He canrsquot sit still and has a fetish for packing RK We are a threesided see saw Shernaz and Rahul are my support systemu00a0