Friends forever

Nadira Babbar’s new play Yaar Banaa Buddy dwells on the importance of one’s roots and best friends

Change is the only constant in this world. But what happens when your closest friend becomes successful, turns pretentious like the rich and famous, forgets his roots and eventually drifts apart? Playwright, director and actress Nadira Babbar’s latest play Yaar Banaa Buddy deals with this issue.

The play revolves around four close friends (Jaideep, Mithilesh, Kartik and Sugna) who hail from lower middle class families and become rich and successful over a period of time. One of them (Jaideep) becomes a cosmetic surgeon and starts hobnobbing with the glitterati. In the process, he forgets his childhood friends, breaks his engagement with Sugna and soon drifts apart. How the remaining three friends win Jaideep back and make him realise his mistakes forms the crux of the play. The underlying theme of Yaar Banaa Buddy is that no matter how successful you become, you should never forget your roots.

Nadira confesses the play is drawn from her personal experiences. “I have seen people forgetting their roots once they become rich. They start becoming pretentious just to fit in the high-class society. Today it’s very common. I was toying with the idea of making a play on this concept since a long time and finally wrote it early this year.”

However, Nadira faced the biggest challenge while writing the play. She says, “It was important that people should understand what we are trying to communicate.”
Eight artists have been double cast as the four characters. So while Sajjad Hussain and Sahil Chaddha play Jaideep, Rajesh Balwani and Chinmay Das play Kartik, Yashpal Sharma and Harsh Khurana portray Mithilesh and Nivedita Bhattacharya and Rashmi Pote play Sugna.

Most of the artists could relate to the characters easily. Actor Yashpal Sharma who was seen in blockbusters like Lagaan and Gangajal says, “When I heard the script, I could relate to Mithilesh’s character. In today’s society, people look down upon you if you can’t speak English fluently. They have a patronising attitude. I have personally faced these problems. Acting in this play, however, has been a lifetime experience. Every day, I interpret my character differently and add a new dimension to it.”

Film and television actor Sahil Chaddha adds, “Today people are competing with themselves but in the process they are forgetting their roots and losing their close ones.” Television actor Harsh Khurana found it quite challenging to portray Mithilesh’s character. “Mithilesh is quite aggressive. Initially, I was apprehensive when I was offered this role. I told Nadiraji, I would prefer playing Jaideep as my personality suited that character. But she convinced me. Now, I’m glad I portraying this role.”

Rashmi Pote, who has always worked with Nadira, explains that Sugna is a strong character. “One might think that since Jaideep breaks the engagement, Sugna might be wallowing in self-pity. But she is a strong person who accepts it gracefully. She is also a loyal friend who continues to be close to Kartik and Mithilesh.”

Portraying Jaideep’s character was quite challenging for National School of Drama graduate Sajjad Hussain. He says, “Jaideep is the toughest role I have ever played. I hail from a simple middle-class family. But for this role, I had to undergo a sudden transformation and portray a sophisticated doctor who has rich tastes.”

Since two actors are portraying the same role, it was also quite challenging for all the artistes. Television actor Rajesh Balwani says, “When two different actors play the same role, you may interpret it differently but you have to capture the character’s essence.” Theatre actor Chinmay Das who plays Kartik along with Rajesh says, “I’m not influenced by Rajesh’s performance or interpretation, but both of us are striving to portray Kartik as an emotional person as that is his personality.”

Though Yaar Banaa Buddy highlights a serious issue, it has been treated in a humorous way. “It’s a comedy that deals with a serious issue in modern India. It will entertain people but it also has a profound thought,” Nadira concludes.

Yaar Banaa Buddy opens on May 29 at Prithvi Theatre, Mumbai.