A new play, Chakkar Chalaaye Ghanchakkar, based on Shakespeare’s Comedy of Errors, adapted by Gulzar and directed by Salim Arif, had Zeeshan Ayyub and Swanand Kirkire in the lead roles of two sets of twins, who cause confusion because they also happen to have the same names.

It’s interesting to note that both actors are from the National School of Drama, and made a fairly successful career for themselves in films; generally, it is seen that once an actor gets into the movies, he/she seldom looks back on their stage days. Some of them, like Naseeruddin Shah, Shabana Azmi, Paresh Rawal, Sonali Kulkarni, Anupam Kher, Neena Gupta (to name a few), do keep their connections with theatre, but it used to be said of NSD graduates that once they finish with their course, they head for Mumbai to try their hand at showbiz. Which is understandable — it is difficult, if not impossible, to make a living from theatre. Most theatre practitioners have to supplement their income in other ways — writing, voice-overs, ads, TV and, now increasingly, films and web series. In Mumbai, it is getting harder to get trained actors to do theatre.