Telling everybody's story

Lillete Dubey has dabbled in a bit of everything including television serials, populist cinema and festival-friendly flicks. However, she is quick to brand TV soaps as extremely boring and cinema just a quick way to earn a fast buck. But the Monsoon Wedding star has no complaints when it comes to theatre — her first love.

With more than two decades of theatrical experience behind her, Dubey will be in Dubai today to stage her first Hindi play, Aadhe Adhure (Half Incomplete).

"It's a family drama that you can relate to and it explores the dynamics between mother-daughter and husband-wife. It's a strong dramatic piece with a good dose of humour in it," said Dubey ahead of her theatrical outing. Excerpts from the interview.

What attracted you to Aadhe Adhure?

This is my first Hindi play even though I have acted in many TV serials and English plays over the last two decades. About Aadhe Adhure, I still remember watching this brilliant play while I was in college. It was my first professional Hindi play and I found it ahead of its times. The moment I saw it, I fell in love with it because it had a terrific script as well. And you have to remember that many a times brilliant Hindi plays often employ erudite, shudh [pure] literary Hindi. But in Aadhe Adhure, the language is not bastardised and the dialogues are written in a contemporary manner.

You play Savitri, a woman who's unhappy in her marriage and hopes to fill that void. How did you tackle it?

Aadhe Adhure is about dysfunctional families. Savitri — even though it loosely translates as chaste and virtuous— is not this typical angelic wife. The way I see it, she is Hindi drama's first feminist icon. She was a woman who was modern and ahead of her times. She was willing to be a mother and a good wife, but she had no qualms about expressing her desires. And when she felt unfulfilled, she expressed it rather loudly. She is strong yet real and every woman out there can identify with her character. So taking on Savitri was a no-brainer because it gave me such wide scope to act. Also, Savitri and I belong to similar age groups, so it was easy for me to get into her mind space. I brought to the table my own life experiences and that helped me play the role better. The timing couldn't have been better.

How relevant is Savitri now, especially when cheating spouses don't grab headlines any more?

You will be surprised to know how my character can evoke both empathy and shock among viewers. We found that soon enough when we staged this play in India. Agreed, a woman wanting to run off with another man leaving her children behind is not shocking but people are not immune to it either. At the risk of sounding trite, Aadhe Adhure could be anyone's story.

Aadhe Adhure also teams you up with your daughter Ira. How was it working with her?

We have worked together before. But this project was exciting for her because she had not done a Hindi play either. She plays this simple, gharelu [homely] girl, diametrically opposite to her real persona. And since she has learnt to direct plays, she helps me with my scenes. It's a good give and take between us. She too has done a good job in this.

More than once you have made it clear that television serials are not your thing any more? Why?

I gave up television more than a decade back because I stopped identifying with them. And to put it honestly, I found them extremely boring. You didn't particularly learn anything and what you got in return is just money. Agreed, it gives you exposure because theatre has a limited audience but I love my craft way too much to make such a compromise. I love what I do and I get great joy from theatre.

Don't miss it

Lillete Dubey will perform at Centrepoint Theatre, Ductac, tonight at 8.30pm. Tickets are priced Dh50, Dh100, Dh200 and Dh300. Call 055-4945439 or 04-3316488