"I am returning to theatre after a hiatus of 18 years and will make an effort to do a play once a year. But that does not mean I will be saying goodbye to films," Shukla told media.
"I will always remain indebted to Bollywood for the recognition which I have got among the masses. But the true feeling of acting comes from theatre which I have been ignoring for a long time. Through`Red Hot`I am initiating this journey and will continue to do so," he said.
Red Hot is the Hindi adaptation of American play by `Last of the Red Hat Lovers` by Neil Simon.
Shukla, will be essaying the role of Praneet Singh Sethi, who is suffering from a midlife crisis.
"I came to mumbai in 1993 and kept myself busy doing films thus neglecting theatre. Since my struggle in the film industry has reduced I am making a comeback to theatre. I started my theatre journey in Delhi and hence would like to dedicate this play to the city," said Shukla, who has received critical acclaim for films `Hey Ram`, `Mumbai Express` and `Yuva`.
A graduate of Delhi University, Shukla forayed into the theatre by joining famous theatre group `Sakshi`. He got his first break in Bollywood with Shekhar Kapur`s `Bandit Queen` in 1992.
Shukla was nominated by Screen as best supporting actor for his role in Sudhir Mishra`s `Is Raat Ki Subah Nahin` and later won Screen and Zee Cine awards for best screenplay for film `Satya` alongside Anurag Kashyap.
In 2008, he acted in the Oscar winning film `Slumdog Millionaire `and portrayed the character of constable Srinivas.
His forthcoming projects include Prakash Jha`s `Aarakshan`, where he essays the role of education minister and `Kashi Ka Assi`, based on veteran Hindi author Kashi Nath Singh`s book.