‘I have never felt that theatre is dying’
Thanks to the television boom in the 90s, VJ Lola Kutty aka Anu Menon became a household name. Her impact was so strong that imagining Anu without her big square glasses, curly hair with mogra, silk sarees and a thick Malayalam accent, is rather difficult. But that is all a part of history now. With multiple characters and plays to her credit, she is much more than the funny geek — as she was recently seen as Laila in the play, Good Mourning.
Not many know that she went to London, UK, to learn drama because of her love for the stage. Talking about her journey, she says, “I did my masters in drama from London, and I came to Mumbai because the stage was always my first love, the focal point of my life. My idea was to have a TV job, perhaps to support my theatre habits. Although people associate me with comedy all the time, theatre offers me the chance to be an unfunny person. It allows me to explore my serious side. So, that’s the best part about it.”
Plays can influence one’s life and remembering one such impactful play, she says, “I watched Lilette Dubey’s, Dance Like A Man, in Chennai (Tamil Nadu) when I was 17, and I found it phenomenal. That’s when I felt that this is what I wanted to do,” adding, “In a city like Mumbai, the theatre scene is great. There are different types of genres that coexist. I have never felt that theatre is dying. As long as people love it, they will watch it and it will stay.” Signing off, Anu says, “Theatre is a wonderful community to be a part of. You meet the most fascinating people from all over the country, and we all speak the same language of theatre, which is amazing.”
ANU MENON WAS RECENTLY SEEN IN THE PLAY, GOOD MOURNING.