Gujarati theatre director Manoj Shah tells What's On why dabbling in play things has made him a better storyteller

Manoj Shah, one of the few remaining Gujarati theatre directors who has managed to resist commercial pressures, and find a niche audience for his kind of theatre is back with his latest play, Jal Jal Mere Patang.

A still from the play Jal Jal Mare Patang

Exploring the life and times of Vedanta scholar Manilal Nabhubhai Dwivedi, a contemporary of Swami Vivekanand, the play premiered before Mumbai audiences this week. The fact that Shah started out as a toy maker in Kalbadevi had a major impact on his work, he admits. His interaction with National Institute of Design (NID) alumni to create toys, reflects in the artwork that now forms a backdrop to most of his plays.

Before getting into theatre you were a toymaker. How did the transition occur?
I had a fancy for toys and that gave me the idea to make toys myself.u00a0 So, I collaborated with designers from NID to create educational toys that I could sell. It was then that I understood the nuances of art that I now use in my plays. I have had the privilege to work with Bhupen Kakkar, Ghulam Mohammed Sheikh and Atul Dodhiya thanks to my early work as a
toymaker.