From 1994 to 2008, Patel worked with the eminent Indian theatre Director Satyadev Dubey. In 1995, he joined the Indian National Theatre and appeared in the play Neela Kamra. His repertoire has included classical and modern Indian plays as well as plays by Western Writers, e.g., Pinter's The Caretaker, Sartre's No Exit, Camus' Cross Purpose, Ionesco's The Lesson, and Mrozek's Vatzlav.