Stageplay : The Journey of an Actor

Stageplay : The Journey of an actor is the fascinating story of Sushma Seth, one of Indian cinema and theatre’s most well-loved faces. Having majored in drama from Briarcliff and Carnegie Mellon in the US, Sushma came back to India to begin her memorable career. The book chronicles her journey form her childhood and early influences, her career in theatre to her first film Junoon, and the very popular role as the lovable daadi in the television serial Humlog. Her roles in the films like Kalyug, Silsila, Prem Rog, Muhafiz, Chandni, 1942: A love Story, and more recently, Kal Ho Na Ho are exemplary.

Throughout, Sushma’s passion for theatre never took a backseat, having performed on stage, roles hat most actors only dream of : Shen Te in Bertolt Brecht’s The Good Woman of Setzuan; Kate in Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew; Gurdafrid in Agha Hashr kashmiri’s Rustam Sohrab; Rano in Rajinder Singh bedi’s Ek Chadar Maili Si; and Champa in Vijay Tendulkar’s Sakharam Binder. In 1972, she founded Children’s Creative Theatre that culminated in several successful stage productions. Stageplay is also the incredible story of the work Sushma Seth has done with the children of an NGO, Arpana that has rehabilitated the lives of thousands of resettled slum dwellers. The second part of the book is a ready reckoner for all teachers of drama workshops and the finer aspects of play production. Stageplay : The Journey of an actor is an invaluable book for lovers of films and theatre, and the general reader alike.

Sushma Seth has had a long and exciting career in both films and theatre. In a career spanning nearly fifty years, she has acted in over eighty films and ninety plays for both stage and television. She has been honoured and felicitated with numerous awards including the award for All around Excellence from Briarcliff College, New York, USA; Founders Scholar Award form Carnegie Mellon, USA; and Distinguished Alumni Award-Lady Irwin College Among others. She has directed plays for children, studied Hindustani classical music, painting, and is one of the founding members of the theatre group, Yatrik.