Chetnaa is an independent woman who has always been focused on her goals. She founded a platform to express her emotions where she works with students, academicians, and corporations to promote inclusivity, equity, and diversity.Chetnaa is an independent woman who has always been focused on her goals. She founded a platform to express her emotions where she works with students, academicians, and corporations to promote inclusivity, equity, and diversity.

Chetnaa Mehrotra is the founder of ‘Rangbhumi Applied Theatre Organisation.’ It has been a decade since the organization was set up.

Chetnaa is currently residing in Mumbai.

Recalling her childhood, Chetnaa says that growing up as a young girl in a conservative society, she had to face many social constraints in terms of beauty, professionalism, and career path. She used to watch the serial ‘Udaan’, where the female protagonist played the character of a police inspector, which she found very impressive. However, coming back to society, she realized that there were preconceptions that a woman is more suitable for a desk job or teaching job, and that was very confusing for her.

Growing up, she thought of doing something that would give her the opportunity to explore and express herself. She used to play hockey and was also pursuing Kathak. She feels blessed to have a supportive grandmother who has always encouraged her to learn something new. She enjoyed her school days, where she used to participate in various cultural events and had friends from different religions. All in all, she had a wonderful childhood.

Chetnaa shares that, in her organization, they try to express their notions through theatrical exhibitions. Applied theater moves away from mainstream theater and minimizes the gap between spectators and actors, explains Chetnaa. The actor does not require a fixed skill set, and anybody can act on the platform of Rangbhumi. Different aspects of applied theater are playback theater, theater of the oppressed, prison theater and many more.

Describing one of her life-changing events, Chetnaa says that moving to Delhi due to her father’s transfer was a cultural shift for her and gave her a strong inclination towards art. She developed a network of theater circles and debate societies. She also attended the summer programme at the National School of Drama. All these activities had a great impact on her acting abilities.

Sharing about her struggles, Chetnaa says that when she was in college, she was going through a lot of internal concerns and was not able to share her problems with her parents as they were also struggling. Nevertheless, she didn't lose patience and gave time to herself and did self-analysis.

Chetna says that she walked out of her first marriage and became a single mother. She felt that it was the best time for her to pursue her dreams, which she could not do earlier. She regards herself as her own inspiration and says that she loves acting on stage, and every time she acts, it's like the first time.

Talking about her achievements, Chetnaa says that even in times of conflict, she got the opportunity to reach different countries around the world. International organizations invited her team to visit Rome, Turkey, and Oslo to share the practices based in the Indian context. She got to represent the International Playback Theater Board and The Pedagogy Theater of The Oppressed. She feels elated to share that Imaginaction, a California-based organization, has joined them to launch an applied theater course in India.

Chetna’s success mantra is to choose her own goals. She says that she has been through various experiences in her life, and every time she chooses what she finds best for herself.

When asked about her role models, Chetna says that she borrows inspiration from her grandparents. Her son has also been very supportive of her dreams. And lastly, she is also inspired by her own experiences and life incidents.

For all those who want to pursue this field, the idea of their own healing and focusing on body rhythm is important. She advises them to read a lot and be grounded.