Rishi Kapoor 'afraid' to do plays

Veteran Khan Rishi Kapoor says he is afraid to come on stage

Mumbai: Veteran actor Rishi Kapoor, who is yet to perform in a play, says that despite a strong desire, he is afraid to come on stage.

"I've never done a play. I'm a cinema actor. I've had a strong desire but I'm afraid to come on stage," said Rishi, when asked if he would like to feature in one.

He was present at the iconic Prithvi Theatre here for the popular Prithvi festival that begins on the occasion of his grandfather Prithviraj Kapoor's birth anniversary - November 3. He had also shared pictures of his grandfather on Twitter terming him, "Good looking,Greek God Grandfather!".

Asked about the changes in the festival over the years, he replied: "It's been happening every year and it's actually on auto-pilot - as such there haven't been any changes in it. There is no profit-making in this, it's a trust. It's (admission price) is barely minimum just to keep it going on. You can't do anything for free as nothing is free in today's time."

He also feels that there hasn't been a decline in theatre. "It's not got less, I believe theatre is progressing. On one side, MAMI is going on and on the other side, theatre is also going on.. People present a play so well, it is very encouraging and I'm hopeful that lot of people will come and be part of Prithvi festival. If you give the platform, people are going to increase," he said.

The Prithvi theatre, set up by legendary Prithviraj Kapoor, is one of the iconic venues for the medium of theatre in the country having completed almost 70 years since its inception. Rishi feels that the there is a need for more platforms like Prithvi theatre, which conducts more than 500 shows every year, to promote the medium.

"We need more such venues to promote theatre, like we see in every country or in West where there are more platforms like Prithvi theatre to showcase their talent and creativity. We need to give it a push. Every drama company takes their play to various cities and promotes it, so I hope that we should also promote our plays in our city and in our country," he said.

His uncle and actor Shashi Kapoor is the managing trustee of the theatre while Rishi's cousins Kunal and Sanjana handle the day-to-day affairs.