By Ruchika Kher

Mumbai, Aug 12 (IANS): Filmmaker Vipul Shah, who has returned to theatre after a gap of 14 years with "Bas Itna Sa Khwab", says the joy of producing a play is unparalleled.

"Films are definitely more challenging for a producer, but the joy of producing a play is unlimited," Shah told IANS in an interview.

"I wish I could involve myself a little bit more in the process but as a producer your role is limited. But I'm happy that at least I am part of the play and I'm enjoying it thoroughly," he added.

"Bas Itna Sa Khwab" is the Hindi version of famous Marathi play "Dhyanimani". While the lead roles are being essayed by Shah's actress wife Shefali and popular television actor Kiran Karmakar, the play is being directed by Chandrakant Kulkarni.

The producer-director, who has made blockbuster films like "Waqt: The Race Against Time", "Namastey London" and "Singh Is Kinng", has been part of four plays in the past.

So what took him so long to return to theatre?

"I've been thinking of getting back to theatre for a very long time. I wanted to come back with something really special," he said.

"For the last two years, I've been in the process of discussing this play with Chandrakant Kulkarni and finally five months ago we decided to give it a serious thought."

To be staged Aug 15, the play is a socio-psychological thriller and talks about the purpose of life and how reality is replaced by illusions.

Shah says purity in performances lures him to theatre.

"For me, the most important thing about theatre is that it starts cleaning you from inside. It starts bringing the purity back. In films what happens is that when you start shooting, the pressure starts mounting and you start compromising. But in a play you can't do that. You have to give your best in every show, every rehearsal.

"To achieve perfection, you have to keep striving and that I think is the most amazing part about theatre. Also, when you are performing, your interaction with the audiences forms a beautiful connect," he said.

Shah promotes his movies aggressively.

When asked whether he would adopt same marketing strategies to promote the play, Shah said: "There will be some effort because I consider marketing is a very important tool to reach out to people.

"We want to create that awareness so that people come and see what we are doing. But a play is not marketed like a film. It works on show-to-show appreciation by the audience. We want to create the awareness and then let the play talk."