Naseeruddin Shah, co-founder of Motley theatre, and 3 key players make sense of how they've managed to survive 30 years

They've had a steady run on stage for three decades, but they are modest to admit they weren't born geniuses. They share anecdotes readily, like the one where a tangdi kebab was accidentally left behind in a costume box along with Estragon's clothes (a character from Waiting for Godot), to be discovered years later.

This month, theatre group Motley begin their anniversary celebrations as they revive and revisit old plays, and open two new plays, Dastangoi and Ismat Apa Ke Naam II. We got founder member Benjamin Gilani, driving force Ratna Pathak-Shah, and loyal friend Akash Khurana to look back at the 3-decade run.

What were the initial years like?
Benjamin: We weren't trying to make a place for ourselves. It was just something Naseer and I wanted to do. We started on a wing and a prayer. We had no idea whether anybody would come to see our plays.
Ratna: The early years were also very lazily productive. Everything took a long time to happen. You did one show of Godot, and the next, six months later. They would rehearse a lot but the opportunity to perform came sporadically. There was no plan. And without a plan, we've managed for 30 years.
Akash: I'm fortunate that I was on the wrong side of the fence 30 years ago, but I was part of the play because I was sitting in the first row, watching Godot.