Vinay Varma

Vinay Varma, the guy behind Sutradhar, kicked off his journey in theater as just another hopeful, not some big-shot. Forty years down the line and, honestly, he’s kind of a legend. He ditched his banking gig (yep, real job security and all) to chase the buzz of live performance. Started out with Coffee House Mein Intezar—Dr. Laxminarayan Lal’s play—and never looked back. This dude’s resume? Pretty wild. He’s directed over 45 plays, acted in more than 50, racking up 200+ shows both in India and across the globe. Not just the local auditorium scene—he’s hit up serious festivals from Mumbai’s Kala Ghoda to Kolkata’s Minerva, even the World Theatre Olympics in Chandigarh. His performances are all over the map too: Natasamrat, Raktbeej, Main Rahi Masoom (that one’s based on Dr. Rahi Masoom Raza’s life), Siyaah Haashiye, Stronger Than Superman, Main Nathuram Godse, Death Watch, Kanjoos Makkhi Choose, and David Mamet’s Oleanna. Yeah, quite the mix. Main Rahi Masoom, his tribute to Rahi Masoom Raza, has been his big-ticket show—taking the stage well beyond Hyderabad, everywhere from Delhi and Pune to Chennai and London. The play even celebrated its 50th run at Ravindra Bharathi, Hyderabad, in 2018. Oh, and film buffs, don’t sleep on his movie creds—over 40 feature films in Hindi and Telugu, plus one Hollywood flick tossed in for good measure. Not too shabby for a guy who started out just chasing a dream on stage.