Inlaks Theatre Awardees 2024: Sachin Ravindran, Abhay Mahajan, Meera Sitaraman and Anklesh H
In the previous post, we featured two of our 2024 Theatre Awardees, Meera Sitaraman and Anklesh H.
Today, meet Sachin Ravindran and Abhay Mahajan, the other two Awardees for 2024. Sachin is immersed in the training of Thullal, an art form from Kerala, and Abhay in Vachika voicework training.
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Sachin Ravindran
Sachin Ravindran is an actor, singer, movement artist and Kalaripayattu practitioner, currently based in Bengaluru. Originally from Kanhangad, a town in Kasargod district, Kerala, Sachin has been trained in classical music for eight years. Youth festivals, an inseparable part of Kerala’s cultural profile, introduced him to the world of music, art, and acting, laying the foundation for his creative journey. Later he moved to Mysore for his bachelors course in Architecture. His thesis project in architecture focused on creating a comprehensive theatre hub, which led him to study various theatre schools and performance centers across the country. This piqued his interest in theatre.
His encounter with architecture reshaped his perception of spaces and their impact on him as an artist. He worked for two years as an architect before he turned to theatre and joined the Drama School Mumbai's course in acting and theatre making. During the course, he discovered the power of body movement as a medium for artistic expression. Since graduating from DSM in October 2021, he has been part of Our Theatre Collective, Bengaluru and Indianostrum Theatre, Puducherry. He has received training in Therukoothu, a folk theatre form from Tamil Nadu, from Kalaimamani Dr. P. K. Sambandan, which has had a huge impact on his creative journey. He has acted in four plays, devised and performed two solo pieces for children, two short films, and collaborated with independent cinematographers to create movement films.
As a theatre practitioner, Sachin values the transformative power of rigor. He believes it starts with unlearning, a never-ending search from the place of the unknown. Sachin was introduced to Thullal in his childhood, when his mind was devoid of any notions of performance, an empty vessel absorbing without bias. Formal training offered him diverse performance tools, guiding the quest for the performing body. Now, at this juncture, he finds the need to re-access that initial body and its connection with Thullal and revisit the form, hoping to craft a performance aligned with the essence of Thullal practice. With the help of the Inlaks Theatre Award, he hopes to delve deeper in the form. He’d like to explore how he can retain the essence and the spirit of the form while developing a new language/ form for the performance, with the help of his mentors Suresh Kaliyath and Vivek Vijaykumaran. He nurtures a long-term goal of building a space where artists from all arenas can come together, create and tell stories of their lands through different forms.
Abhay Mahajan
Abhay Mahajan has been deeply invested in the practice of theatre for the last two decades. His work for stage and camera shows his range as an artist. Abhay’s work as an actor has been staged at prestigious International festivals in France, Belgium, London (UK), Taiwan, Czech Republic, Italy and India at ITFOLK, Bharangam, Park Festival, Writer’s Bloc and others. Abhay was one of the founder members of Pune-based experimental theatre group Natak Company. He has frequently collaborated with eminent directors including Atul Kumar, Mohit Takakar, Velavane Koumarane, Aakash Khurana, Nipun Dharmadhikari and Aalok Rajeadwe.
Abhay is an alumni of Attakkalari Centre of Movement Arts. As a dancer, he is trained in Katari-Payat, Bharatnatyam, Ballet and contemporary techniques. He was selected for b12 performance project with choreographer Akira Yoshida in Berlin and he has been part of residencies with choreographers like Anton Lachky, Lali Aguade and Rob Hayden. Currently, he is working on a dance production with choreographer Abhilash Ningappa.
As a teacher Abhay offers several workshops, including Body Awareness, Actor’s Block and Moving Actor. Apart from his workshops, Abhay has been a visiting faculty at FLAME institute. He is a recipient of Vinod Doshi Fellowship for contribution to theatre in 2014-15.
Abhay will be spending the year with performer, educator and actor trainer Mallika Prasad, where he will be completing a certification course in Vachika Voicework and later, writing a paper on the idea of ‘Unheard Voices and Voice Training’.
To know more about the Theatre Awards, visit our website here.
