Dinesh Poddar is today among the most recognizable names in Kolkata based Theatre, when it comes to light designing. In fact his expertise seeps into other on stage performances as well including Musical shows, Dance performances or even creative lighting in a Durga Puja venue. An accomplished an today, Dinesh Poddar sounds nostalgic and pensive talking about his days of taking the first baby steps into the world of theatre, three decades back. It was a very different city with limited means and resources when he first began working in Padatik. Things have changed for better as his familiarity with Bengali language has also improved. He can mostly go through a script on his own and discuss with the director before going to work and once blocking is finalised, he prepares a cue sheet, which is a document he treasures forever. He also talks about his passion for photography, which not only taught him a great deal about lighting but also helps him in his daily work even today. He also shares his experiences of foreign travels and watching plays over there. He is quite taken by the technical as well as technological skills they’ve acquired. He demonstrates a few trinkets-of-trade such as coloured sheets, which provide rare shades that can fulfil very specific creative and aesthetic demands. His thumb rule is simple; the stage is a canvas and you’ve got to paint it with light!
Previous updates on Theatre light designers:
Deepak Mukherjee: Shedding lights on proscenium, light design and space (click here)
Sumit Chakraborty: Designing journey of Bengali Theatre through lights & shades (click here)
