In January, legendary Indian actor Naseeruddin Shah was in Dubai for a three-day theatre festival featuring extremely popular plays Ismat Apa Ke Naam, A Walk In The Woods and Katha Collage. He’s back again this weekend at Ductac, Mall of the Emirates, with Ismat Apa Ke Naam Part 2 — Kambakth Bilkul Aurat.
Ismat Chughtai is an eminent Indian writer of the last century known for her feminist and radical works, presented with a humorous twist. Many of them have been adapted by filmmakers and theatre directors. And Shah is known for his keen eye for stories — think of his award-winning turns in films Sparsh, Mirch Masala, Aakrosh and Chakra, and stage productions A Walk In The Woods and Waiting For Godot. He founded the Motley Productions in 1977 with fellow actors and friends Tom Alter and Benjamin Gilani.
Shah directed and acted in Ismat Apa Ke Naam but this time around he prefers to sit only in the director’s chair.
“The first play, Ismat Apa Ke Naam, sees myself, [my wife] Ratna and [my daughter] Heeba. The second production is completely different from the first one. But I don’t want just me or Ratna or my family in all plays,” Shah told tabloid! during a shooting break on the set of Welcome Back in Abu Dhabi last week.
“It’s a set of three of Ismat Chughtai’s stories which I wanted to do for a long time but I knew we were not suited for the characters. So I cast Manoj and Seema Pahwa, and Loveleen Mishra. They are all wonderful actors and I’ve worked with Manoj and Seema in Katha Collage earlier too. They are all part of the Motley group. I cast according to the suitability of the roles. I want Motley to be synonymous with good theatre and not as a family production house. It needs to survive after us.
“Ismat Chughtai’s stories all make a social comment, but are extremely positive — even when she’s writing about a marriage in trouble or of an old derelict woman. No doubt she writes tongue-in-cheek but they are all full of compassion for the characters, without judgement. That’s what I’ve brought out in both productions”.
Shah is staging the play on October 10 and 11 during the filming for Welcome Back — where he plays a comic blind mobster — all the while promoting his autobiography And Then One Day. Didn’t he find it tough to switch between actor, author and director constantly?
“It’s great fun,” laughed Shah. “There are times like this when I like to stay constantly busy and there are phases when I want to do nothing but laze around and do nothing for two to three months. Then I recharge myself by reading, relaxing and simply absorb. Then, rejuvenated, I want to do a lot of things simultaneously. I’m bringing a new play soon called Einstein, where I play the scientist. After that I know I will want a break”.
In a career spanning almost 40 years filled with award-winning and critically acclaimed performances Shah finds it hard to identify with most of his characters.
“I wish I knew,” he laughed. “They are all various aspects of myself, yet I’m not any of them. I find a connection with all my characters whether it’s Anirudh Parmar in Sparsh or the arrogant Subedar in Mirch Masala or Bhaskar Kulkarni in Aakrosh or D.K. Malhotra in Masoom. However, the only character I’ve been able to really identify closely with was the slightly foolish, younger brother Vishwam in the film Nishant.
Failed actors begetting failed actors
In an interview during the release of his searingly candid memoir, Naseeruddin Shah had commented on how failed actors today are training aspiring actors.
“When I said ‘failed actors’ I meant those who can’t get work not because they suffer bad luck but because they don’t know how to act. They are failed ‘actors’ — and they are training potential actors. That’s the trouble. That’s failure.”
Don’t miss it: Ismat Apa Ke Naam Part 2 — Kambakth Bilkul Aurat will be held at Ductac, Mall of the Emirates, on Friday, October 10, and Saturday, October 11, at 7pm. Tickets from Dh100. Call organisers ADSS on 056-2746089.
