The National centre for the Performing Arts is the creative crest of South Mumbai’s Skyline. A dominating figure at Nariman point, the NCPA has lent a helping hand in the promotion and preservation of Indian art and culture. Whether it’s classical – Indian as well as Western – music and dance recitals, English, Hindi and regional theatre, art gallery, a centre for photography or reading and listening libraries, this centre has it all. Registered as a society on June 8, 1966, most people would agree that the NCPA has had a good many decades of service to the performing and allied arts.

Like theatre person Dolly Thakore. According to her, the NCPA is a great cultural centre that has made English, Hindi, Gujarati and Marathi theatre available to the city. But she also laments the "rent and hire" practice that’s prevalent at the centre at present. "The NCPA is not proactive.

There is so much space in the campus, but half the times there are only three events taking place there," she says. A point that director and playwright feroz Khan, who is also a NCPA committee member, corroborates. "Yes, it’s one of the few places in the country that provide space and opportunity to all kinds of performing arts. But the centre should reinvent itself and play a more dynamic role. It’s efficient, but it needs to be more involved," explains the director of plays like Mahatma v/s Gandhi and Tumhari Amrita. The ticket rates, he adds, are also very high, thought the fact that the centre is available to anyone, is encouragement enough.

The availability factor is one of the most appreciated aspects of the NCPA. As theatre person, Anahita Uberoi, who is also the daughter of NCPA’s director, Vijaya Mehta, puts it, "It’s one of the few places that is multi-disciplinary and reaches out to the multitudes, It’s almost like a masala thing!" Her favourite place is the experimental theatre, within the centre premises. "The NCPA provides one with space options, whether it’s a small or big play. That’s a lot, given Mumbai’s lack of performance space," she adds.

Agrees theatre person Rael Padamsee, who says that the NCPA gave birth to a lot of experimental theatre. "It encourages new work and is not a run-of-the-mill place," she feels. The centre’s importance for South Mumbai is borne out by her pertinent question of if there’s no NCPA, then where do people perform, apart from at the Alliance or NGMA, which she feels, are too small.

A self-confessed NCPA fan, Sylvester Da Cunha, couldn’t agree more. According to him, it’s a unique cultural centre whose only constriction is that it’s too much in demand. "They have four stages and obviously everyone can’t get dates. But you can’t blame the NCPA for that. The centre has to service everyone," he says. He feels the centre has broadened South Mumbai’s cultural horizons. "We need to have many more NCPAs he states. Unfortunately, as Feroz Khan puts it, "People are more interested in making mandirs and masjids."

For adman Alyque Padamsee, the NCPA is the one place he thinks of when he wants to do Shakespeare or any other serious work as its audience appreciates intelligent drama and simultaneously enjoys the fun of English theatre. However, he does miss a theatre festival for the performing arts at the centre.

"In other words, a week-long celebration of the arts, like the Kala Ghoda festival," he explains. And as far as elitism is concerned, he states, "yes, the theatre is elitist for those who want mass entertainment." Feroze Khan agrees by saying that modern theatre has one crowd and it’s just the location – South Mumbai – that is elitist!

While dolly Thakore also endorses the fact that the NCPA isn’t elitist, she does say that Tata theatre has become too commercial. "A lot of commercial stuff is coming in there, and not great talent," she maintains.

Be that as it may, NCPA was, is and will be, one of the main hubs of South Mumbai’s culturati. Now, that’s entertainment.