Can't stay away from theatre!

It was while watching the premiere of the play 12 Angry Jurors at St Andrew’s Auditorium the other day, that we realised how much theatre stands to gain when somebody it has nurtured years ago, returns to it. We are, of course, talking about actor Deven Khote, who returned to theatre after a hiatus of over 20 years with the play Scent of a Man three years ago and plays a crucial role in 12 Angry Jurors. 

Till the end of the play, it is Khote who keeps the audience at the edge of their seats, waiting to see when his resolve would break and he, too, like the others, would change his stand. His breakdown at the end is so convincing, that I couldn’t help but be glad that this actor who appeared in numerous stage productions in the 1980s and 90s, decided to come back to his first love after a successful career in the media and advertising industry.

                     Deven Khote, Dipika Roy and Rajit Kapur in 12 Angry Jurors

Like Khote, there are numerous other actors who have felt the need to come back to their first love. A couple of years ago, actor, producer and director Neeraj Vora, too acted in a Gujarati play titled Waah Guru. He was acting on stage after a gap of two decades. At that time, Vora had told us, “When you start your career with theatre, the love and affection for the medium, and the thrill of performing in front of a live audience never fades away. In the last couple of years, actors such as Om Puri, Kulbhushan Kharbanda and Saurabh Shukla have decided to rekindle their affair with the stage after years of staying away from it for numerous reasons.

While it can be argued that for most of the above-mentioned names, the big screen had not much left to offer and so, they re-found their way to theatre, it is not the norm. Take Mohd Zeeshan Ayyub, for instance. The NSD graduate has acted in some of the most successful films in recent times and is all set to play a significant role in the Shah Rukh Khan starrer Raees. But even he was compelled to take a break from the arclights and face a live audience after a gap of six years with the play Iss Kambakht Saathe Ka Kya Karein?

                                Dipti Naval and Shekhar Suman in Ek Mulaqat

For some veteran actors, the stage is not a comeback, but an exciting discovery. I was truly surprised to learn that Dipti Naval had never acted on stage before she made a beautiful and intense debut as Amrita Pritam in the acclaimed play Ek Mulaqat three years ago.

Director and actor Terrence Mann once said ‘Movies will make you famous, Television will make you rich, but theatre will make you good’. And if the audience keeps getting to watch such talented actors on stage, it will make them happy.

Cheers!

The Art Addict

PS: After performing in various cities and even at some international venues and completing over 100 shows, Bangalore’s Sandbox Collective is bringing down Koogu, a solo performance by Anish Victor to Mumbai and Pune from June 11 onward. The solo performance comprises a series of vignettes based on real events, all examined in the light of larger ideas of freedom, culture and tradition. There will be text and sound, dance and music and naturally, we too will be there to catch all the action. Be there! 

Play review: Iss Kambakht Saathe Ka Kya Karein?

Minor health complications, shifting to a new home and general laziness… just some of the reasons the blog was inactive for a couple of months. But without further ado, let’s get on with what this blog is here for… love for the performing arts.

A couple of days ago, we got a chance to speak with Mohammad Zeeshan Ayyub. The talented actor – a graduate from National School of Drama – has received rave reviews for his performance in movies such as Tanu Weds Manu Returns and Raanjhana and has an equally impressive line-up of films in his kitty, including Raees with none other than Shah Rukh Khan. However, our interest in the young man was more to do with his passion for theatre than for his big screen engagements. The actor spoke to us about his new play Iss Kambakht Saathe Ka Kya Karein? and that he was making a return to theatre after almost six years.

                                                             Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub 

We saw the play on Wednesday night at NCPA. Directed by his wife Rasika Agashe, Iss Kambakht Saathe Ka Kya Karein is the Hindi adaptation of the Marathi play Sathecha Kay Karecha? written by Rajiv Naik. Zeeshan plays Abhay, a successful ad-filmmaker whose biggest grouse in life is that Saathe, a documentary filmmaker is more successful than him. Or so he feels. He vents out his feelings as and when possible in front of his wife Salma (played by Rasika), an English teacher by profession. The tensions and drama rests on the conversations and play of words between these two diametrically opposite people. While Abhay doesn’t let go of any opportunity to criticise Saathe, Salma’s reaction is to enjoy the smaller moments of joy that life brings.

This dark comedy relies much on the chemistry between the two principal characters and that is where, we feel, the play scores. While Salma’s character sounds a tad too preachy in the initial few conversations and the English dialogues a little forced, the overall impact is that of a couple who enjoy each other’s company and you look forward to the next scene and conversation. Without Abhay’s dry wit and Salma’s light-hearted repartees, the play would have become too dark.

                                        Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub and Rasika Agashe 

However, there were some areas where the play could have done better and music is one of them. In most places, the music is either too loud and drowns out the dialogues and therefore, the impact they are meant to create. In others, the choice of song has no connect with the situation. Some scenes, like the one in which Salma starts crying or Abhay’s emotional monologue towards the end of the play, feels a little out of place as there are no tensions created leading up to the same. One is also left a tad dissatisfied as an audience at the end as the resolution doesn’t feel like one.

Overall, the play makes for an entertaining watch. Kudos to the dialogue writer for making the conversations seem everyday, yet, engaging. And watch it to see Zeeshan on stage, before you get to see him play larger than life characters onscreen again.

Raise a toast to 2016!

Here’s wishing you all a super, duper new year!

Let me begin this new year post by declaring something I read somewhere.

Theatre was created to tell the truth about life.

Now, I’m really not sure where I came across this quote, or if it is by some famous personality, but it has stayed with me ever since I read it. Maybe because a lot of what I saw on stage this year, and the years before, has made me think deeply about things I never gave a second thought to, reflect on things I never imagined I needed to, and at times, even question some of my own beliefs. Theatre, let me tell you, can be quite an eye-opener.

Last year, I managed to pack in a number of good stage performances, heard some veterans open their hearts about their passion for theatre, and generally soak in the positive energy that only a good theatre experience can induce. The year began with the Aditya Birla Group’s super initiative Aadyam, with the purpose of bringing theatre closer to people. 2015 also saw the grand musical Beauty and The Beast being performed in Delhi and Mumbai. The NCPA and Prithvi Theatre, again drew in theatre lovers with their respective festivals.

           Gauhar will be staged as part of Lillete Dubey's play festival

But the new year is upon us now, and there’s lots more to look forward to in the world of art and culture. The success of Aadyam has ensured that we get another round of five new plays this year too. The talented Shankar Mahadevan will lead an ensemble of 22 musicians in a musical production which will seek to capture the diversity of India’s musical legacy at the NCPA at the end of this month. Pack your bags and head to Jaipur as the city gears up for the Jaipur Lit Fest from January 21 to 25. Renowned speakers and literary heavyweights include Stephen Fry, Margaret Atwood, Esther Freud among others.

While Akvarious completed their 15 years last year, Lillete Dubey’s theatre company Primetime Theatre completes 25 years this year, and some of their best plays including Dance Like A Man, Adhe Adhure, Wedding Album, 30 Days in September among others will be staged at three different venues in the city from January 15 onward. It’s a landmark year for Rage as well, as it will be 15 years since they conducted their first workshop in 2001. Ten brand new plays will mark their Writers’ Bloc to be staged in April this year.

                           Rage's Writers' Bloc will take place in April

Imran Zahid, the actor who played the lead role in Mahesh Bhatt’s play Hamari Adhuri Kahani, tells us that this year, we will also get to watch Milne Do, an Indo-Pak collaborative play, in which actors from both countries will be seen promoting the message of peace. “While I play the main lead, the actress cast opposite me is from Pakistan,” he adds. Ustad Ghulam Ali will be lending his voice for a song in the play which will be staged in Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Lahore and Karachi. Rajat Kapoor continues his love for Shakespeare and is again donning the director’s hat for a new play, As You Like It. The play is expected to be staged in the first week of March.  

And while all these guys are doing their best to give us an awesome stage experience in the new year, let’s keep the spirit of theatre alive by encouraging and supporting their endeavours. The Art Addict plans to make the most of this journey. Will you?

Cheers!

Much love, 

The Art Addict

PS: The closing shows of Manav Kaul’s Colour Blind, based on the life and works of Tagore, are at Prithvi Theatre on January 7, 8 and 9. If you haven’t already seen it, then this is your chance. 

The taste of childhood

Almost everyone I know, has at least one or more memories related with food. If I talk about myself, it would probably be the time when I was in standard ninth, coming up with a tastefully decorated salad which nobody ate because it looked so pretty, that no-one felt like disturbing the plate. I didn't know whether to feel offended or not!

A couple of days ago, I attended the book launch of Chillies and Porridge at The Bombay Canteen. The anthalogy of food, with essays contributed by people such as Tara Deshpande Tennebaum, Manu Chandra, Bachi Karkaria, Nilanjana S Roy, Wendell Rodricks and many others, and edited by Mita Kapur, was a revelation for me. Back home, reading through some of the essays, I could almost smell the liquor-fattened plums and raisins, going into Wendell's aunt's Christmas cake and sense the delight that Niloufer Ichaporia King felt, while strolling around the many bazaars of Bombay.

But perhaps, it was Rocky and Mayur's memoirs, of growing up in South Delhi as kids in the '70s, that ignited my childhod memories. Growing up in South Delhi in the 80s and 90s, it brought back memories of jars of black carrots fermenting in the sun which turned into the super tangy kaanji, that my brother was fond of. I preferred the aam panna, which my mother prepared from raw mangoes, a taste which I have never managed to replicate till date or found in any of the packaged varieties. It gave me an unexpected thrill to read about the street food vendor calling out 'kaale, kaale phaalse'. My friends in Bombay have never understood what the blackish-purplish fruit, made even more tangy with the special masala provided by the 'phaalsa wala', means to me. It reminds me of my childhood in Delhi, of lazy Sunday afternoons watching Spiderman on Doordarshan, searching for ladybirds on blades of grass during summer holidays, picking shehtoot from the trees growing in the colony park and rushing back home, so we could wash and devour them. Now, when I visit supermarkets and find packaged mulberries being sold at obnoxious prices, I sigh inwardly and think of the simple times when all we had to do was walk inside the park and pick up the 'gire huye shehtoot' from the ground.

Mita Kapur, Chef Floyd Cardoz, Tara Deshpande Tennebaum and Bachi Karkaria

Perhaps it does make sense to document our relationships with food. At the book launch, Tara had said that we come to a know a lot about people or cultures, when we discover their relationship with food. Maybe we need more of such books, that take us back to our roots and tell us who we are, where we have come from and where we are headed.

Much love
The Art Addict

PS: One of our most favourite people in the world, Gulzar, is teaming up with Salim Arif once again for a children's play called Nuclear Sher. The first show is on January 3rd 2016, at Prithvi Theatre. The show promises to bring the magic of Panchatantra stories on stage, in a contemporary and fun way. Whether you're a kid or an adult, this one is a must watch. 

Danish Husain and the angst of modern times

“I think of myself as an actor and a poet. At least, I fancy myself as that. I think people perceive me more as a storyteller and a director,” Danish Husain told me, when I met him one the other day, at the Prithvi Cafe.

                               Danish Hussain. Pic courtesy/Shawn Lewis

It’s ironic, I thought to myself, because that was a perception even I had, having sought him out after watching and being impressed with his play, Ek Punjab Ye Bhi, at the Prithvi Theatre Festival this year. My main agenda, of course, had been to watch actor Kunal Kapoor doing a full-fledged role on stage. I’m happy to say that I was mighty impressed with his acting skills on stage, but more than that, I was simply enthralled by the play. I wanted to meet Danish, who had so effortlessly (or so, it seemed to me), transported me to another place, painting a haunting picture of the fertile lands of Punjab, with its dark, crooked tales. “For me, it’s the larger geo-political context that matters. These are not just tales we were telling. They point to the ugly face of what’s happening around us, like the US invading Vietnam or the Dadri incident. That’s what makes great literature so great,” Danish said, referring to the four short stories by Urdu writer Ali Akbar Natiq, which he adapted into the play.

In between spoonfuls of chicken pasta, Danish recalled his days in Delhi, when he’d completed his MBA and was working in a bank. “I had a history of shutting down banks. Whichever bank I would work for, would shut down. I was like their unlucky mascot!” he guffawed. One thing led to another, and he found himself doing an acting workshop with Barry John, who, later, cast him in his play, Khamosh, Adalat Jaari Hai.  While Danish admits that he hasn’t done a lot of theatre, he did get to work with some of the best theatre talents in the country, right from MS Sathyu, to Rajinder Nath, MK Raina, Habib Tanvir and Sabina Mehta Jaitly and won acclaim for acting in plays such as Agra Bazaar, Jaat Hi Poocho Sadhu Ki and Rumi: Unveil The Sun. He also worked in a couple of movies, including Peepli Live, Dhobhi Ghat and more recently, Ankhon Dekhi.

            The cast of Ek Punjab Ye Bhi. Pic courtesy/Zahan Kapoor

In 2012, he started his theatre group, called The Hoshruba Repertory, literally meaning ‘jo aapke hosh udaa de’. “It was my way of expanding out, not restricting myself to being a storyteller, but to explore other forms and mediums,” he said. And because Danish has always been attracted to text and literature, the first play he opened with, was Samuel Beckett’s Krapp’s Last Tape, something which a number of people told him, was too dark a choice to start his theatre company’s journey with. “But that’s how we are, we have become this dark, poisoned people,” reasoned Danish, “A lot of our literature, poetry, social disorders are essentially urban phenomenon. There is an angst, of living beyond despair, where things will never change, where our air, food and even human relationships have become poisoned. That angst appeals to me, because that’s how we live in these modern times.” The same urban angst continued with his next play, Chinese Coffee, about two men in their mid-40s, and how their jealousies, unrequited love and unfinished agendas unravel over a period of two hours.

                     Danish Hussain and Vrajesh Hirjee in Chinese Coffee

Last year, after moving to Mumbai, Danish set about looking for an apt subject to make a new play. How Ek Punjab Ye Bhi came about, is another long story which involves the actor-director receiving a book of short stories as a gift, relegating it to the bookshelf without reading it, committing himself to doing a play based on those stories in an interview without really meaning to, and then finally, making a play on them – but we won’t go there today. “The stories have this haunting quality about them. Punjab has one of the most fertile lands in the sub-continent. But by the time you see these stories, it seems as if the colour is flying off the painting. By the end, it becomes a haunting, desolate place,” said Danish.

The artiste admits he’s enjoying direction now. “There are heartaches there too, but that’s part of life,” he reasoned. And his next play? “Mujhe maloom hai main bolke phans jaaonga,” he smiled, and then added, “It’s an absurdist play called Professor Taranne. It’s a play about a man and indecent exposure and a trial, extremely relevant in today’s times.” We can’t wait to watch. 

In Kalki's living room

Two years ago, Kalki Koechlin shared a cup of tea with me, as we both sat cross-legged on the floor. She was taking a break from rehearsing for Manav Kaul’s play Colour Blind and that day, I got a chance to observe Kalki, as an actor on stage. She was not very different from how I’ve found her in her film roles – intense, dedicated and a delight to watch.

A few months ago, the roles were reversed. A few days ahead of her directorial debut in theatre - The Living Room’s premiere in Bengaluru - I observed her, as she sat on a chair with her legs on the table in front of her, watching her actors rehearse. She remained quiet all throughout, letting them fumble, remember their lines and carry on.

Later, she sat cross-legged on the floor of the rehearsal room at Laxmi Industrial estate in Andheri, and examined her little toe which she had hurt a few days ago, as she waited for her actors to settle down around her. Sheeba Chaddha had left immediately after the rehearsal was over, but the others — Jim Sarbh, Tariq Vasudeva and Neil Bhoopalam — were ready for their feedback, and settled down near her. “Guys, you forgot your lines too many times today. You have to read the script at home,” she told them, as they looked suitably chastised.

By the time you read this, Kalki’s directorial stage debut, The Living Room, would have been staged at Bengaluru, and in Delhi, and is ready to be shown at Mumbai’s NCPA Centrestage festival which starts on November 27.

She told us she was glad that she didn’t have a film on hand to divert her attention from the play. “I would have gone nuts if that was the case. As it is, I have grown old in the past one month with all the stress,” she had said with a laugh.

Death brings meaning to life

She had written a play earlier, titled Skeleton Woman, but had left the direction to someone else. “This time, I wanted to direct. I guess I’m a bit of a control freak,” she laughed. Earlier titled A play on Death, Kalki changed the title to The Living Room, but was not sure where the idea of the play came from. “It’s a conversation between an old woman and Death. The dilemma, which it explores, is that does one live their life fully because life is so short or do you live life depressed because you will eventually die. Along with that is the idea that if you had that one extra day to live, what would you do with it. Death, in a way, brings meaning to life,” she added.

It might sound like a lot of philosophizing, but just as life can be either uplifting or depressing, the play too has heightened moments of sadness and happiness. And because she’d been told umpteen times about similarities between her play and Woody Allen’s Death Knocks, Kalki went ahead and read it. “The only similarity I found is that death plays a bumbling character in both the plays, but what eventually happens is different,” she revealed.

Taking inspiration from directors

Tariq, one of the actors from the cast, believes she is very patient as a director. “I guess I can be sympathetic to the position of the actors in terms of the frustration they feel when they are exploring a character, because I know what it is not knowing what you’re doing on stage,” said the actor who’s studied drama and theatre from the University of London and also acted in a number of plays.

Directors such as Rajat Kapoor, Atul Kumar and Rehaan Engineer have influenced her directing skills, said the first-time director. “Rajat always says that one should let the actor’s exploration period be as long as possible. From Atul, I’ve learnt about the specificity of movement. And while I haven’t worked with Rehaan, I’ve seen how he works and pays attention to the text and the intention of the grammer,” she said.

Would she act in a play directed by her, we were curious to know. “It would depend entirely on the kind of play it is. If it’s a monologue, then I can do it, but an ensemble play like this would be impossible,” she said.

All we can say is, we can’t wait to watch what this talented actor and director has in store for us, when the play is staged on November 29 at NCPA.
    

Much love

The Art Addict

PS: The Art Addict is no fan of James Bond but when it comes to the other Bond - Ruskin, she would like her name to be mentioned on top of the fan list. And so, she is super pleased to know that Penguin India has recently announced that the speaker for their Penguin Annual Lecture 2015 would be the much-loved author. The event would be held in the capital in mid-December.                              

A tale of two actors

Over the weekend, we got a chance to hear two of the finest actors theatre has gifted us – Rajit Kapur and Ratna Pathak Shah.

They could not have been from more different backgrounds. While Ratna’s mother Dina Pathak and aunt Tarla Mehta were both veterans in Gujarati theatre and the actress can’t recall a time when acting and stage wasn’t a part of her life, Rajit’s father mocked him openly when the young man declared that he wanted to join the National School of Drama.  “Have you seen your face in the mirror? Hangar jaisi shakl hai!” Rajit recalled the exact words his father had said to a somewhat amused audience.

The actor never ended up going to the NSD. Ratna, on the other hand, did and is grateful for the technical-knowhow, history of theatre and other lessons she learnt there. “NSD didn’t make me an actress, though it did make me a better theatre person,” she remarked.

Formal education or not, the two actors have, over the years, managed to leave a mark on all the mediums they have explored, be it theatre, television or films. Some of Rajit’s memorable stage performances include Class of 84, Love Letters, Me Kash and Cruise and Flowers, while his portrayal of detective Byomkesh Bakshi in the serial by the same name had shopkeepers downing their shutters early in order to catch the show at 9 pm on Thursdays. The film, Making of the Mahatma, earned him a National Award in 1995.

As for Ratna, the actress’ name is synonymous with acclaimed plays such as Ismat Aapa Ke Naam, Dear Liar and Antigone. Her portrayal of the snooty Maya Sarabhai in the popular comedy show Sarabhai V/S Sarabhai, is still talked about. Though she has played roles in movies such as Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na and Khoobsurat, the actress says that her best in movies is yet to come. 

It was interesting to know that when faced with different mediums, both Ratna and Rajit don’t change the way they approach the character. “At the basic level, acting remains the same. The difference arises because of the space and the actor has to adapt to that. You have to do it, to understand it, to feel it,” said Rajit.

It takes a lot of self-assessment, however painful, to reach where they are. And Ratna believes that more than depending on others’ opinions about your work, self-assessment is something which is non-negotiable for an actor. “You have to know why you like what you do or what you did not like about your performance,” she told the audience, while Rajit admitted to being his harshest critic.

At the end of the discussions, an eager audience waited patiently to fire some more questions at their favourite actors. Good decision, we thought, you wouldn’t get another chance like this soon!

Much love

The Art Addict

PS: The Celebrate Bandra Festival starts today and it would be a shame if you gave up the chance to miss the open air art classes, music events, theatre shows and more, which the organisers have planned for the next five days. The Art Addict will be going for sure, will you be there?