Vijay Crishna, the Indian theatre personality. Vijay Crishna is not just an actor but also an icon; at 81, the age of classic actor and theatre figure Vijay Crishna has officially passed away. Characterized by his strong onstage and screen presence, Crishna was celebrated for the long collaboration on the play Dance Like a Man and his memorable roles in such movies as Gandhi, Devdas, Guzaarish and PK. His death has also left the theatre and film world in tears.
Crishna’s career spanned decades, and he was legendary as someone who brings a deep, naturalism as he appears in roles. When this performance had turned into an iconic, the play of Dance Like a Man had run for more than 25 years with a box office victory. On screen, the character was a star in the hit of Shah Rukh Khan’s father in Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Devdas (2002) for a role that highlighted his status and emotional stamina. He was featured in Gandhi (1982), Guzaarish (2010), and PK (2014), a performance with which he was seen performing under the name of a versatile actor.
Vijay Crishna was involved in cultural and social activism outside of acting. He was former executive director with the Godrej Group and was known for environmental concerns. Not only an art historian by passion, his two-stage career was a way for him to give back to society. Colleagues and friends from across India, including actors such as Lillete Dubey, remember him at some moments as a great Indian theatre director who was a mentor to many people.
Crishna’s death matters because he marked a gap between the theatre and the movies, the artistic expression of stage work in pictures. His commitment to theatre worked to perpetuate and promote the popularisation of plays in India at a time when the cinema had the dominance over on-stage productions. It was the richness of the Indian performing arts that came through his performance for audiences, their hearts full of admiration. Actors who follow him and theater performers as well look up to his dedication are indebted to his passing.
Vijay Crishna's name is 81, and at 81 and one of those, Vijay Crishna makes an impression of a work by a work to be treasured for its depth and sincerity, its realness and cultural worth. From his Dance Like a Man to Devdas, his performances touched the audience and gave Indian theatre and cinema an intellectual renaissance. The death of his body, although it represents a close-end of an era, would mean his hands-on legacy on the one hand through the plays, films and stories which he developed will always live on, and yet in our collective life from behind, on the other.
