From Balasore to Bhubaneswar, how Dipanwit Dashmohapatra made his mark in contemporary theatre

For Dipanwit Dashmohapatra, all the world's a stage as this actor dabbles in both theatre and short films. Fresh off the success of Vijay Tendulkar's Trilogy Theatre Festival which was held from March 7 to 9 in Bhubaneswar, Dipanwit informs us that this was Jeevan Rekha Theatre Group's first theatre festival, a theatre group that the 23-year-old is a part of. He essayed the role of Arun in the play Kanyadaan, a particularly challenging task of playing the role of a domestic abuser. "My funda is that my character shouldn't appear fake and the script should convince me about this," says Dipanwit, who was born in a town called Soro in Balasore.

One of the most challenging roles he had to play was that of a donkey in Ek Gadhe Ki Atmakatha written by Urdu and Hindi writer Krishan Chander. "It was physically taxing because I was playing a donkey and was on all fours for more than two hours," he shares 

It was when he came to Bhubaneswar to pursue his Electrical Engineering from SOA University that he was exposed to theatre and fell in love with it. He promptly joined the Uttar Purush Theatre Group, took up acting workshops, travelled to perform in plays, won accolades like the Best Actor award he won in 2017 for a play he performed at IIT Bombay and has been at it since then. He has even acted in films, the most memorable for him being the role of a postman that he played in national-award winning director Amartya Bhattacharyya's Khyanikaa: The Lost Idea.  

Shape-shifter: For Dipanwit, it's all about the script | (Pic: Dipanwit Dashmohapatra)

When it comes to acting, this youngster feels that contrary to what people say, it is more important to observe oneself than to observe the surroundings. "It is when we observe ourselves that we are able to etch out characters," explains Dipanwit. Speaking about the theatre scene in Bhubaneswar, he shares that it needs fresh blood, in terms of a newer set of audience coming in to watch instead of the same bunch of people. It was to fulfil this goal that the Jeevan Rekha Theatre Group was formed and as a part of it, Dipanwit is doing all that he can.  

For more on him, click on facebook.com/Dipanwit.Dashmohapatra