Sense and sensibility

Tell us about the starting-point of the film and the journey.
Onir: Initially, I was keen on making separate films on each subject. But I realised that traditional financiers would not be interested as this was not something that fit into their concept of a project. At the same time, the desire to do these films was immense. That’s when Sanjay Suri came up with the idea and suggested that I should start writing them as short stories. In India, we don’t have a market for such individual stories but the idea is to create a dialogue, not a monologue. So we thought of making them into short films and interlinking them through characters so that we can reach out to a wider audience. Many people ask me about the film’s structure but it has shaped up primarily because of the way it has been financed.
For My Brother Nikhil (MBN) friends and family came together to support us. So we thought, for I AM, let’s try and see if we can make this into a bigger family. Quite often, you come across people on Facebook and Twitter who want to get associated with your project but get scared because the risks are huge. So we thought, “Why not try and put up a post on Facebook?” The first film that we were shooting was I AM Abhimanyu, so we put up a post on FB saying ‘Why Abhimanyu? If you believe that this film should be made then start donating from Rs 1,000 onwards.’ At times, it was tough to raise the money too. There was a person who said that he would give me the money only after he was convinced that I was the real Onir. So he asked me to come down to New Delhi and have a cup of coffee with him. And I did that. But having said that, in less than a month, we had collected a crore. The entire journey started because we were fortunate enough to get contributions from people. Sometimes it takes over a year just to get a script approved from a corporate house. But here despite all odds, in a little over a year and a half, we have not only shot the film but it’s also getting released independently. The whole journey has been a huge success.

Sanjay Suri: This film, besides its content, means a lot to me. It means a victory for true independent cinema and for more than 400 people who had faith in us. It requires a lot of focus, passion and persistence to invest your money in a project without a release date in mind, without even knowing whether the stories would get made or not. I would like to thank all those people for supporting us in this endeavour. I AM would also not have been possible without the cast who supported and believed in us. Everyone, who is a part of this film, has done this project out of love and friendship and not out of any commercial motive.
Onir, were you under any kind of pressure as the finance that was riding on the project was the common-man’s hard-earned money? And how involved were these people in the film?

Onir: We didn’t have a model to follow. So everything that we were doing was an experiment. But it was a formidable task because when so many people trust you and invest their money, then you have to reach that goal. Everyday I would spend three hours on FB, answering their questions and just talking to them. My whole effort was that just because they have sent a cheque, I shouldn’t forget them. So we had to keep them involved through the entire process of filmmaking. It’s really time-consuming to sit and answer each and every question, but at the same time it is so rewarding. The biggest challenge now is to return everyone’s money.

How did you choose these four stories that are also linked to pertinent contemporary issues?
Onir: A couple of stories are inspired by real-life incidents that I have seen or that have happened to friends. It’s not that first I zeroed in on the issues and then thought of making a film on them. Sometimes you are reading stories and few of them remain with you. The story of My Brother Nikhil came to me five years before I actually started filming it. The idea struck me when I was editing a documentary on Dominic D’souza, the first HIV positive activist from Goa. Similarly I knew about Sanjay’s story. But it was only when I went to Kashmir for a recce for another story that I wanted to film when I understood the gravity of the socio-political situation there. For me, the insurgency in Kashmir and the displacement of the Kashmiri Pandits was always a piece of news that I read in newspapers. It was only when I saw endless rows of deserted colonies that I suddenly felt the need to tell this story. So for me, the starting process of making any film begins with the need to tell a story.

What prompted each of you to be a part of I AM?
Juhi Chawla: I did this film mainly for Onir. I had first met him through Sanjay on the sets of Jhankaar Beats. He discussed with me the story of MBN and I really liked it. While shooting for that film, I realised what a fine director he is. MBN was close to my heart as it was a small film made on a shoestring budget but it took me far as an actor. It travelled to various festivals and was used for many campaigns to create an awareness about AIDS. Later, we worked together on Bas Ek Pal. And then Onir came to me asking me for some finance for I AM. There was no sign of a role then. Since I knew Onir, I was aware that he wouldn’t just disappear with the money but actually make a nice film. About six to eight months later, he came back with the script of I AM Megha and told me, ‘This is your kind of film.’
I heard the story and loved it. Going back to Srinagar after 20 years was lovely. I had first gone there during the filming of Sultanat.
The second important thing was that I was working with Manisha Koirala for the first time. Though we knew each other, we had never worked together. But in I AM Megha, she was cast beautifully as a Muslim girl Rubina. It was a wonderful experience. However, I was stunned by the fact that I AM Megha was inspired by Sanjay’s life. It was shocking because I have always known Sanjay. But after I learnt about his story, I just felt how little we knew of each other.

Nandita Das: I could relate to the journey and the situation that Onir went through (finding a producer for the film) as I have struggled with it myself as an actor and a director. Often, one wishes to produce a film oneself. It allows you to do things the way you want. That was the primary attraction for me. But there were other reasons too. Firstly, Onir and Sanjay are very good human beings. It’s nice to work with such people as there’s no stress and you know that no games are being played. Secondly, the way they were planning to do the film was a novel idea. The whole idea of raising funds through a social networking website democratises the whole process and I wanted to support that. Thirdly, the stories that they were trying to tell were human stories. They are extremely relatable yet unique. These are stories that we know but don’t tell or don’t want to hear. I personally like stories that do shake up and disturb us. I AM Afia is about a woman who is struggling with the personal choice of conceiving through artificial insemination and being a single parent.

Rahul Bose: For me, this film is about discrimination and it raises a lot of questions. Why should a sperm donor feel embarrassed? Why should a homosexual be scared? Why should a Kashmiri Pandit feel defensive among Muslims and why should a Muslim feel defensive amongst a whole lot of non-Muslims? Why should a child who has been sexually abused by his father feel bad? Why is it that the people who are judged the most are not judged for who they are, but for what they look like? All of us have felt discrimination.

Sanjay: I grew up in a joint family where everyone was very close to each other. As a kid, when such things (child abuse) happen with your near and dear ones, you know something is amiss but you can’t understand what is it at that time. You are old enough to remember but not old enough to understand the situation. Child abuse is usually dealt with in films as a sub-plot but never as a theme. Fifty-three per cent of Indian kids are abused, so it’s horrific that no one wants to talk about it. People are more keen on changing the names of cities but are not concerned about real issues. But as a filmmaker, you need to tell such stories. The common factor between these stories is that there has been a silence on it — either personal, political or legal. The more we talk about it, it will be better for everyone.

Rahul, was it challenging to play a homosexual?
Rahul Bose: It’s irresistible to play someone who is homosexual, to try and understand what it feels like to be in disguise from the moment you wake up till the moment you die. I know two actors who are homosexuals but are in the closet since the last 20 years. They don’t have the guts to come out in the open and that holds true even in Hollywood. I have never played a role where my character is hiding something and living in constant fear that someone will find out his secret. My character in the film has this intense visceral feeling and suffers from an unnecessary shame, which is what made it interesting.

Were you apprehensive to play such a character?
Rahul Bose: The only apprehension that an actor will have while playing a homosexual is whether it will impact his career in a negative way. I don’t have a career so that thought didn’t worry me! One might feel ‘What will our parents say?’ but my parents are dead so that wasn’t a consideration either. Will any girl ever want to marry me? That they don’t want to anyways! The only thing that perhaps one could have thought of was how society would receive it. Would they throw stones at my house? By now, everyone knows that I would welcome that. In that respect, Onir and Sanjay have cast the right person. It’s a fantastic role and people will appreciate it. It’s the writing, the creation and what happens to that character that is really stunning. It’s a role that would take any actor to a new place.

Nandita, what is your personal take on the issue of artificial insemination?
Nandita: It’s a very personal choice. I firmly believe there should be space in personal choices as long as you are not harming anybody. Our society needs to give us more space. Quite often journalists ask me why I do not work in commercial films, but I feel I’m doing films or roles to which I relate. I’m not asking a commercial actor ‘Why do you do only those kinds of films?’ It’s their choice. We can create space in our society only when all of us can make our own choices. And that’s what Afia is fighting for. In that sense, I relate to Afia, her strength and her confusion. She is strong and vulnerable at the same time.

How did each of you prepare for the role?
Juhi: After hearing the script, Onir and I had so many discussions that there wasn’t any doubt left in my mind. I had a fair idea about my character Megha. But having said that, there are some things that hit you only when you are in that situation. It was only when I reached Kashmir and we started shooting there that I felt the pain of my character.

Nandita: When people ask me how did I prepare for the film, I feel sorry that I don’t have a lovely story to tell like ‘I looked at the mirror and did method acting or I read up books in the library’. I’m sure there are roles which require you to do all that. But someone like Afia or the characters I have done earlier are so human that you just have to imagine and ask yourself, ‘If I were in her place, would I react like this? Would I make these choices?’
And often the answer is ‘Yes’. I wouldn’t say there was any preparation per se, also because filmmaking is a very technical medium unlike theatre where you go through all the emotions at a stretch. So I prefer asking all the questions to my director beforehand.

Sanjay: As an actor you don’t have to go through each and every experience to enact a role. When a role is well-written, you get sensitised to it. The more you think of it, the more perceptive you get.

Which is your favourite story in I AM?
Juhi: I liked Afia’s story. It’s almost lyrical.

Nandita: I really liked I AM Omar (Rahul’s story). It’s very powerful, yet layered at the same time. Usually homosexuality is touched upon with broad brush-strokes. You know so little about it, and what you know little about, you fear it the most as you have your own prejudices about it. A short film cannot make or doesn’t dig the whole gamut of things but it takes one slice of it and does complete justice to that. It’s disturbing because you don’t quite know what to feel, it’s not in black and white like most mainstream films, which give you everything rather simplistically. But this story has many grey shades and the fact that it confuses and disturbs you is its strength.

Rahul: I loved I AM Megha (Juhi-Manisha’s story) because the issue is double-sided. It’s not about the trivialisation of homosexuals where there’s only one side. Here there are both sides. I think whether you are a Kashmiri Muslim or a Kashmiri Pandit, India has been so soaked in blood on both sides that you don’t know which way to go. It will be compelling to watch that and it has been portrayed very finely by both the actors.

Onir, apart from the characters, is there any common link between the four stories?
Onir: Apart from the characters, these are stories that are about contemporary India. Each of the individuals are struggling for that space where they can lead a life of integrity despite their political history, gender or sexual preferences.

How did you cast Anurag Basu and Anurag Kashyap?

Onir: That was not a planned move but it was interesting as few people know that both the filmmakers had come to Mumbai to become actors. I called up Anurag Kashyap because I was finding it difficult to get an actor to play the abusive father in I AM Abhimanyu. He interacts with a lot of theater actors and I asked him, ‘Would you know anyone who will be interested’ and he said, ‘I will do it.’ That’s how it started. Similarly Anurag Basu and I were once having coffee and he just told me that he had forgotten his wallet and asked me if I could lend him Rs 500? I was looking for a Bengali doctor for I AM Afia and Basu fit the bill. When I told him that he would be acting in my film, he initially thought it was a joke but later accepted it sportingly.

Apart from Sanjay, has anyone whose life has inspired this film watched the movie?
What was their reaction?

Onir: I have shown this film to Ganesh Nallari (whose story has inspired I AM Abhimanyu) and after watching it, he opened up to his parents about his abuse. He recently called me and said that from now on he’ll call himself Ganesh Abhimanyu Nallari. That was really touching.

Music just a click away

Neil Nongkynrih conductor and founder of Shillong Chamber Choir shares a light moment with his singers

The Shillong Chamber Choir recently had a first-of-its-kind personalised concert in Mumbai

Winners of reality show India’s Got Talent season 2, the Shillong Chamber Choir has performed in several cities across the country and also entertained India’s first lady Pratibha Patil and the US President Barack Obama. But when they decided to give their first public performance in Mumbai on April 7, they did things differently. They opted to have a first-of-its-kind personalised concert wherein they would perform songs that were requested by their fans on social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter.

Neil Nongkynrih, conductor and founder of the choir said, “Usually, the first act is programmed wherein we perform songs of our choice and the second act is quite informal where audience members shout out aloud and ask us to sing us their favourite songs. So this time we asked the producers to use the same concept but in a more organised way.”

Fans could send in their requests a fortnight before the concert and on last count just two hours before the concert, the choir had received over 1,000 requests. Topping the list were hit Bollywood songs like Ajeeb dastaan hai yeh, Kal ho naa ho and Chhoti si asha. Nongkynrih said that rather than performing all of them, they decided to turn the concert into a perfect blend of audience requests as well as innovative pieces like a piano and tabla jugalbandi, a piano and rock-inspired jugalbandi, Mozart’s Queen of the night and a special dedication to pop icon Freddie Mercury.

He explained, “After every show, a huge number of fans request songs that they would like to hear us play. Most of the time we sing a few requests, but with Facebook and Twitter acting as our request lists, we could sing exactly what the Mumbai audience wanted us to sing. If listeners get to select the songs they want to hear, then they will be more engaged. We thought of dedicating a song to Freddie Mercury as he hailed from a Parsi family that was originally from Mumbai.”

Well-known for their jazz, classic rock, popular English, Bollywood and Western classical renditions, the Shillong Chamber Choir was set up in 2001 and comprises 22 members ranging from 15 to 30 years. The group customises their performances according to the venue. For instance, for a recent performance at Chennai, the choir performed Tamil songs including the super-hit Chinna chinna aasai (the original of Chhoti si asha) while in China last year, they rendered couple of Chinese compositions.

Shom Jagtiani, chief operating officer of Indigo Live, which promoted the event in Mumbai, said, “All the best bands have begun using social media to promote their music these days. Clever marketing has always been just as important as having great music. Rather than organising just events, we believe in conducting personalised concerts that helps the audience to interact more with the performers.” With the advent of the Internet and social media sites, personalised concerts might just be the next big thing in the music world.

'I'm attending Bollywood dance classes'

By George! That’s Naseeruddin Shah preparing to play an aging superstar. As for serious pursuits, there’s theatre to turn back on.

At sixty, Naseeruddin Shah is the perfect epitome of the adage ‘Never say never’. Whether it was playing a villager and grooving to Oye Oye in Tridev, or essaying the role of a ghazal singer who is an undercover agent in Sarfarosh or giving voice to the angst-ridden middle-class Indian citizen in A Wednesday!, Shah has time and again tread new grounds and enthralled us with his acting prowess.

After acting in several films over the last three decades, this year he has decided to take a break from cinema and dedicate himself solely to theatre. He says with a resigned shrug, “I’m tired and bored of films. There is no hope on the horizon for Hindi cinema. For one Dibakar Banerjee or Anurag Kashyap, we have hundreds of filmmakers who dole out mediocre stuff in the name of entertainment. I did four movies last year and all of them were big disappointments.”

That prompts the next question. Is he upset about Vishal Bhardwaj’s 7 Khoon Maaf’s dismal performance at the box-office earlier this year? Shah retorts, “I didn’t think the movie was a great idea even when I read the script, but Vishal is a dear friend and I didn’t want to disappoint him. I think rather than seven, there should have been only three husbands. It was imperative that the audience should love Susanna in the first five minutes into the movie so that they could empathise with her. But that didn’t happen.”

However, letting bygones be bygones, Shah is now visibly excited to be a part of Milan Luthria’s Dirty Picture based on Southern siren Silk Smitha’s life. Apart from romancing Vidya Balan again, he will also be seen as an aging superstar showing off his dance moves with much gusto. He says sheepishly, “It’s not my strongest area. So I have been attending Bollywood dance classes everyday.”

Ask him how is he planning to play an aging superstar and he says cheekily, “There are plenty of those in the industry from who I can draw an inspiration.” Later, on a serious note, he adds, “I’m going to model the character on myself, and think how would I react if I was a superstar. Since down South, the films are known for their action sequences, it will be quite a challenge to practice them with as much panache. It will be different from what I have done before as the movie will have obscenely loud décor, action, dance and atmosphere of the Tamil films of the ’70s.”
Prod him a little about his co-star and Shah also lets out a little secret about her, “Vidya is lovely but she has a tendency to giggle in the middle of the shot. And this time, she will definitely get to laugh a lot, thanks to my dancing skills.”
Apart from Dirty Picture, Shah is not shooting for any other film this year.

Instead, he is directing four new plays and paying an ode to one of his favourite writers, George Bernard Shaw. His first production By George that is a collection of Shaw’s two plays — Village Wooing and How He Lied To Her Husband and a poem (English Pronunciation) — will premiere at Mumbai’s National Centre For Performing Arts on April 2. While Village Wooing follows the adventures of a travel writer (Faisal Rashid) and a talkative ‘phone operator (Ahana Kumra) who wants to marry him; How He Lied To Her Husband is a comedy about how a smooth talker (Anand Tiwari) manages to fool his lover’s (Trishla Patel) husband. English Pronunciation recited by Kenny Desai deals with the peculiarities of spoken English.

Shah admits that the litterateur’s lucid language, lovable characters and diverse themes prompted him to direct his works. He says, “I love Shaw’s writing, his language, characters and the theme of his plays. My students (Rashid and Kumra) studied Village Wooing as part of their acting course and did a good reading. Satyadev Dubey had directed Ratna (Pathak Shah) and me in it over two decades ago. It’s a little-known play that is charming and funny. But the piece wasn’t long enough to be staged as a single play, so I decided to club it with two other works and turn it into a 115-minute production.”

While Village Wooing and How He Lied To Her Husband share a common thread and are affectionate satires on wooing, wedding and the aftermath, English Pronunciation deals with the idiosyncrasies of the language. Explaining its significance, the actor-director says, “Language was one of Shaw’s major concerns. It should be spoken with as much clarity and purity as possible. Sadly, English is not spoken the way it should be, anywhere anymore, not even in England.”

But it wasn’t too difficult for Shah to extract a good performance from Desai, thanks to the latter’s impeccable pronunciation. The veteran artiste says, “Kenny’s English pronunciation is excellent. He belongs to the old school and had the right teachers. Today such teachers have disappeared. So many people today don’t know when we say ‘the’ and ‘the’ (pronounced as thee).”

Shah will follow this play up with Shaw’s Arms And The Man that will be staged during Summertime Prithvi, the annual children’s festival held by Prithvi Theatre in May. A comedy set during the 1185 Serbo-Bulgarian war, it is about a young woman who rejects her fiance, a war hero, and falls for a Swiss soldier. The play might sound too complicated for kids but Shah says, “Children should not be subjected only to physical comedy. They should be exposed to plays like Arms And The Man that appreciate spoken English.”

In July, Shah will team up with Rajit Kapoor in an adaptation of Lee Blessing’s famous play A Walk In The Woods. The story about two Cold War diplomats, a Russian and an American who, in the midst of a peace conference at Geneva, decide to take a break, walk in the woods and interact as men rather than as statesmen, has been adapted by the sexagenarian and now revolves around an Indian and a Pakistani diplomat. “It’s a poignant story about friendship and touches upon topics of cross-border terrorism and infiltration.”

Finally at the end of this year, he will present Teesra Salaam, the third play by his group Motley, which dramatises the delightful writing of Ismat Chughtai. “I relate to these stories as they are set in the milieu from where I came,” he admits.
For an actor of his calibre with a wide repertoire of work, Shah is still raring to go and wants to direct plays like Arthur Miller’s The Crucible, Shaw’s St Joan and more of Chughtai’s works. He says, “I want to do these productions as they are great plays.”

Shah, who started off his career with the stage over three decades ago, is not too happy with the current scenario. “Theatre is still a fringe activity. Sometime back, there were many film ‘stars’ who jumped on to it to make some quick money. They were like termites, but thankfully that phase is over. But there has neither been a renaissance in writing nor have we discovered anything new in the field of writing. The only thing that has changed is that now theatre has more visibility. I strongly believe that theatre should be done only to communicate with the audience,” he says.

Stage dreams

Television actor Nausheen Ali Sardar returns to theatre after three years with The Play Begins @ 8 pm.


Telly actress Nausheen Ali Sardar was first seen on stage a decade ago in Rendezvous With Guess Who. But after she became a star overnight thanks to her girl-next-door act in Ekta Kapoor’s Kkusum, the actor started concentrating more on her daily show and went on to act only in two plays. But after making a comeback on the small screen with Imagine’s Beend Banoonga Ghodi Chadhunga, the former model thought of revisiting theatre with Delhi-based director Sachin Gupta’s new play The Play Begins @ 8 pm. The production, which premiered last week in Mumbai, revolves around two friends Sophia (Nausheen Ali Sardar) and Raymen (Siddharth Arya) and their views on theatre. While Sophia is passionate about stage- craft and wants to do it for the sheer love of it, Raymen is open to the idea of adding a commercial angle to theatre in order to make more money.

Sardar says that it was the love for the medium as well as a need to change her serious image that prompted her to take up the play. She adds, “My friends often complain that despite being chirpy in real life, I end up playing serious roles. So when I got an opportunity to play a character that is quite similar to my off-screen persona, I was glad.”

The effervescent actress admits that though she was initially apprehensive to take up the play due to date issues, she finally complied on the director’s insistence. She says, “I had just started shooting for Beend Banoonga Ghodi Chadhunga when Sachin approached me with the script. I was a little sceptical as I was wondering if I could manage the play along with my new show. But he convinced me. I could also relate to Sophia’s views. Despite Kkusum’s success, I never took on multiple projects as I believe in working on one project at a time and doing complete justice to it. One shouldn’t misuse performing arts only to make more money or be visible.”

Gupta, a software engineer, has directed 12 plays over the last eight years under the banner of Chilsag Chillies Theatre company. He reveals that his personal experiences inspired him to pen The Play Begins @ 8 pm. He says, “It’s my tribute to all theatre actors. Usually people have no qualms in shelling out Rs 500 on clothes or food but they think twice before spending Rs 100 to buy a ticket for a play.”
The Hindi play that uses a lot of humour also highlights some of the concerns faced by theatre artistes in the country.

“It’s quite frustrating when despite repeated requests to people to switch off their cell- phones, they refuse to comply as they feel it’s just nautanki on stage. Everyone knows about William Shakespeare’s works that were penned just 400 years ago but ask them about the 2000-year-old Natyashastra and they are clueless. Rather than adapting international plays, we should focus more on staging original works,” says Gupta whose next venture is a musical comedy.

The Play Begins @ 8 pm premiered at Mumbai’s Ravindra Natya Mandir on April 10.

Cause and effect

Actors are increasingly walking the talk, adopting causes they espouse in their personal lives. Here’s looking at the Bollywood brigade’s dedicated bunch.

Green with Pride:
Abhay Deol, who is known for his unconventional roles, has decided to go green by turning his dream house into an eco-friendly project.

The actor, who graced the cover of the first Green Life magazine, aims to have a house that will have an environmentally-sustainable design and boast of eco-friendly features like solar panels, rainwater harvesting and a waste- management system.
It seems like Abhay is following the footsteps of Hollywood actors like Johnny Depp who converted his 35-acre Bahamas home to a solar-hydrogen powered unit and Cate Blanchett who spent a whopping 1.5 million to give a green makeover to her mansion.

Blogging it Up:
A decade ago, Lisa Ray shot to fame as the light-eyed beauty who set pulses racing with her sizzling act in the Garden Vareli ad and the music video of late Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan’s Aafreen aafreen. But in 2009, the actor proved there’s much more to her than her looks.

Ray chose to go on an open forum and disclose that she was afflicted with myeloma, a rare form of bone-marrow cancer, thereby urging other people to come out in the open and share similar stories. The brave actress informed everyone that she would like to use her celebrity status to draw public attention to the technological advances that are being made in the treatment of myeloma.

Over the last two years, she has successfully battled the disease. In 2010, the Fortis Lisa Ray Award for Conquering Cancer was instituted in her name that would be awarded to a cancer survivor who has conquered the deadly disease with confidence.

Fuel Flair:
Akshaye Khanna is known for keeping a low profile and let his work speak for him. He made news few years ago when he ordered a customised electric car - REVA.

Khanna decided to do his bit for the environment by opting for this vehicle that is carbon dioxide-emission free. Abroad, Hollywood actors like Alicia Silverstone, Edward Norton and Cameron Diaz also flaunt their non-polluting green cars.

Closer home, Salman Khan opts for a bicycle rather than a flashy vanity van to reach the sets. Though the beefy actor claims that it helps him keep fit, we are quite impressed with his efforts to conserve energy unlike his contemporaries who waste electricity thanks to the various amenities in their gigantic vans.

A Personal Space:
His chocolate boy looks and filmi lineage created a palpable curiosity about Imran Khan when he first made his debut three years ago.

Since then apart from acting in a string of films, the young actor has been in the news for his association with social causes. He sent women in a tizzy when he became a part of theatre stalwart Mahabanoo Mody Kotwal’s path-breaking play The Vagina Monologues, proceeds of which went to victims of domestic violence and other causes that Khan felt strongly about.

The actor had earlier admitted at the Screen Big Picture in 2009, “If I do something for a cause, it is not as a celebrity but as a person.” He had also confessed that he is particular about switching off lights and turning off taps at his home.
Taking his concern for conservation of energy a step ahead, he is now planning to renovate his Mumbai residence. Apart from a manicured lawn, a swimming pool and a theatre, the major highlights of his revamped house will be a windmill and eco-friendly tiles. It’s a known fact that windmills help to generate electricity without contributing to global warming. Looks like Imran might soon inspire everyone else in tinseltown to go green.

Sleeping Beauty:
Vidya Balan, who received flak for her fashion sense and buxom figure, would likely attribute her weight loss to a strict diet and exercise regime, right? No, it is quite the opposite.

Her fans were in for a surprise when she confessed that the right sleeping pattern was the secret of her new-found vigour.

Vidya, who is the brand ambassador for the Sleep Awareness Month, revealed that she had been suffering from insomnia since she was 12 and would not go to sleep before 3 am. But realisation dawned on her only three years ago when despite working hard she was unable to shed off the kilos.

After approaching a dietician, she learnt that her irregular sleeping hours were the main cause. “I always felt that sleep was a waste of time and was fascinated with stories about Shah Rukh Khan and how he slept merely four hours. I was encouraged to follow him,” recalled the star, who, after realising why they call it ‘beauty sleep’, has started sleeping for six hours while she’s shooting and eight to nine hours when she’s not.

Larger than life

Paritosh Painter’s new production I Am The Best captures the madness of reality shows and aims to be a visual extravaganza complete with magic, comedy and music.


Theatre has always been Paritosh Painter’s first love. The actor-director’s association with the stage dates back to his college days two decades ago. After directing and acting in several hit productions like See No Evil, Hear No Evil, Speak No Evil, Paying Guest and Get Rid Of My Wife, Painter aspired to tread new ground and present a production on the lines of a Broadway musical to theatre aficionados. He decided to amalgamate reality television with magic in his latest work I Am The Best.

The play, which recently had a sneak preview, will be staged from May 1 to 31 at Mumbai’s Rangsharda Auditorium. It follows the adventures of two magicians — Aditya and Manav — who are the participants in India’s greatest reality show I Am The Best. As part of the show, they have to stay in a house for a month, perform various tasks delegated by the host and outperform each other. The winner will eventually be conferred with the title of I Am The Best. While Ninad Kamat and Joy Fernandes play the two magicians, Shreyas Talpade essays the role of the show’s larger-than-life host who also informs the audience about the regular developments in the reality series.

Explaining what prompted him to capture a reality show on stage, Painter says, “I wanted to do something larger than life. Several musicals and mythologies have been adapted for theatre. Though reality and magical shows have entertained us, they have never been captured on the Indian stage, so I decided to amalgamate the two and present a visual extravaganza to theatre lovers.”

The actor-director, who came up with this idea almost two years ago, was clear that he wanted to showcase tricks at par with international standards in this ambitious project. After roping in his friends —Kamat, Fernandes and Talpade — he then contacted Mangesh Desai, a magic consultant. Desai sent him a few videos that featured tricks performed by ace magicians like David Copperfield and Lance Burton. Painter says, “I told Mangesh that we would do only the finale acts performed by these magicians. The whole idea was to amaze the audience and show them something that they have never before seen on stage.” Apart from other illusions, Painter aimed to show tricks like quick dress-change (where the magicians change dresses in half a second), the classic head-cut (where a person appears beheaded) and playing with light in the air (where the source of light is not visible to the audience) in the play.

But it was quite an uphill task. Painter soon realised that not only did Indian venues have several limitations but there was also a dearth of quality equipments. He explains, “Abroad, there are some venues that are built especially for grand magic acts and have the necessary acoustics and infrastructure. But in India, the scene is quite different. Since there are few professional magicians, the venues and equipments are not up to the mark. We didn’t want to compromise on the quality, so we had to work within these constraints.”

After buying the equipments, art director Ashish Ranade had to upscale them by breaking them down and then rebuilding them so that they could serve the purpose. Painter and Desai also ordered for several books from abroad and used them as references.

Since the last three months, Desai has been training the cast to master the skills of a magician. Painter says, “We soon realised that in order to perform these tricks, a magician should not only use the right technique but also be a good actor to distract the audience. Magicians are trained quite differently from actors. So Ninad and Joy first had to learn those nuances.”

The play that has been produced by Painter’s production house also boasts of lavish sets. While in a regular play, sets are worth just Rs 2-3 lakh, in I Am The Best sets worth Rs 45 lakh have been used. It also features a gigantic TV set in the midst of the stage that Talpade uses to communicate with the participants and the audience.

Since Talpade had date constraints, his portions have been recorded earlier but Painter had to ensure that when the play is staged, viewers feel that the actor is performing live along with the cast. He says, “This has never been attempted before on the Indian stage. Everything had to look real time. So Shreyas, Joy and Ninad had to rehearse vigorously for split-second timing.”

Though Painter has taken a huge risk by attempting such a gargantuan task, he is happy that the 45-minute preview got a good response. He is now aiming to include four more illusions in the 115-minute play when it premieres in May and is also planning to stage it abroad. Ask if he would like to stage the play once especially for David Copperfield and he laughs out aloud, “I would love to stage I Am The Best. After all, his tricks have been featured in it. So I will definitely not rule out the possibility.”

Winds of change

Indian filmmaker Ashish Srivastav’s Flames Of The Snow is the first documentary that has got a commercial release in 42 theatres across Nepal.

New Delhi-based documentary filmmaker Ashish Srivastav always nurtured a desire to tell a story that was never told before. His wish got fulfilled when he met Indian journalist Anand Swaroop Verma who had been closely following the people’s struggle against monarchy and feudal oppression in Nepal since many years. Srivastav got enthused to make a documentary on how people got together to dismantle the monarchy and establish the republic. He started doing research on the subject and finally went to Nepal in 2006 to interview various members of the Nepal Maoist party and the People’s Liberation Army. He says, “Whatever has been published in the media till date had been from the state’s point of view who were the powerful side in the revolution. My documentary does not give a verdict but tells people what happened on the other side of the fence.”

Today five years down the line, Srivastav is a happy man as his hard work has paid off and his Flames Of The Snow is the first documentary that has got a commercial release in 42 theatres across Nepal.

The film that hit the theatres on February 17 has been produced by India’s Third World Media in collaboration with Nepal’s Group For International Solidarity and traces the long pro-democracy struggle against three regimes: the Shah Kings of Nepal who ruled the country for 240 years, the repressive Rana Prime Ministers who reduced the kings to puppets for 104 years and a succession of 12 governments in 13 years who sought to put down people’s protests by force. The film focusses on two issues — the significance of the Nepalese revolution in the world today and the conspiracy by the United States and other imperialist countries to thwart this revolution.

The documentary starts off with the murders of the king, queen and eight more royals in June 2001 and ends in 2008 when an elected parliament abolished monarchy and ordered the deposed king to vacate the palace so that it could become a national museum. Srivastav, who travelled extensively to meet people associated with the struggle, says, “These individuals are dangerous for the enemies, not for us. We arranged interviews with the top leader of Nepal’s Maoist party — Chairman and former Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal Prachanda and his deputy Baburam Bhattarai and went to most of the camps. I was surprised to see so many lady commandos.”

Despite extensive research, Srivastav was not prepared for the wide-ranging effect that the revolution had on the lives of people of Nepal. He says, “I was amazed to see how right from the bell boy of our hotel to the party leader everyone spoke about the revolution. The ideology had a ripple effect. Challenging the might of the state through a self-sustained revolution is quite a miracle. They snatched arms from the police, kidnapped the landlords and funded their war.”

The filmmaker was also clear that he didn’t want to give a balanced view in his work. “The problem is that all of us are used to watching movies that give a balanced view about everything. But I think we tend to lose focus. I’m not an activist, I’m just a filmmaker who wanted to present facts.”

The two hour five minute long film also ran into problems with the Censor Board. While the Nepal Censor Board asked Srivastav to remove two scenes where the US flag was shown burning, the Indian authorities were apprehensive that the film would trigger a revolution here. But the filmmaker and the producer managed to convince them after corresponding with them regularly.

Srivastav is happy that his work is now being screened in theatres along with other main stream films and has elicited a good response. He held the first screening at the Russian Cultural Centre in Nepal where a distributor was supposed to watch it and give his go-ahead for the project. But he couldn’t turn up for the screening. Later the director invited him to his hotel. Srivastav says, “He saw the potential and agreed to distribute it. But due to the political scenario in Nepal, we couldn’t release it then. Now that things have settled down this is the right time.”

Srivastav is hopeful that his film will be released in India and says, “There is a bigger market here than Nepal.” But ask him what has he learnt from The Flames Of The Snow and he confesses, “I have realised that documentaries have to be a completely designed project where you need a proper financier and distributor, otherwise it becomes difficult to market the product. I love making documentaries but at the end of the day they take a lot of time.”

In perfect sync

The Symphony Orchestra of India that recently celebrated its 10th season aims to create awareness about Western classical music among Indian audiences.

Four years ago when the National Centre for Performing Arts (NCPA) in Mumbai thought of creating the Symphony Orchestra of India (SOI), the idea was simple: To set up the country’s first professional Symphony orchestra that would not only offer Western classical music of international quality to Indian audiences but also provide a platform to musicians to showcase their skills. Today, it has performed at international avenues and also helped Mumbai audiences to enjoy ballets, operas and challenging symphonic pieces of great composers.

Led by renowned conductor and violinist, maestro Marat Beisengaliev, the orchestra comprises an international ensemble of musicians from India, Kazakhistan, Russia and other parts of the world.

Describing how the SOI was formed, Khushroo N Suntook, Chairman, NCPA says, “The musicians were auditioned and handpicked by Marat. Then they were put through a mentoring programme with some of the senior members of the orchestra doubling up as teachers. Some of them have also been trained under skilled experts from Russian and Kazakh conservatories.”

This year the 10th season of SOI, which started from February 14, was dedicated to NCPA’s founder Dr Jamshed Bhabha and included some masterpieces like Mahler’s 4th symphony, Brahm’s 2nd symphony, Prokofiev’s 2nd violin concerto and Liszt’s 1st piano concerto that were performed in Mumbai for the first time. One of the major highlights of the 10-day event was the performance by 238 children who played the violin along with renowned virtuoso Dmitry Sitkovetsky and Marat. The kids were between the age group of five and nine and were trained under the Suzuki method started by the NCPA.

Marat, the brain behind the initiative, says, “This practice originated in Japan in the early ’60s when the nation was experiencing economic growth. Today, India is undergoing a similar phase so the method is designed to introduce middle-class Indian children to Western classical music. Suzuki is a professional method of training kids to learn a musical instrument, recognising their talent and then honing their skills to pursue it professionally. It is beneficial for their intellectual and spiritual growth.”

Suntook couldn’t agree more. He says, “It has multiple rewards that far outweigh the challenges. Opening a child’s ears to music and providing a performance platform does wonders for individuality, brain function, motor function and confidence, which remain with them even if they give up the instrument.”

Apart from this, Suntook and Marat also have several plans to promote SOI on a global level. Marat says, “The concluding day of the concert on February 26 is crucial for us as the Alliance of Asian Pacific Regional Directors will watch our performance. Apart from displaying our talent, it will be an opportunity for us to market ourselves to these leading promoters, tour internationally and make SOI India’s first world class symphony orchestra.”

The SOI, which made its international debut in Moscow last year, will also be touring Singapore and China soon. Suntook says, “We are getting a number of offers to tour internationally and are evaluating these in terms of feasibility and availability of time. Since the SOI seasons and orchestra are becoming popular, international tours will become a constant feature.”

The duo also aims to create more educational opportunities about Western classical music in India. “We are hoping for government support and aim to rope in specialists to teach music to Indians who will in turn train students. It’s sad that here parents prefer foreign teachers for their children. We want to change that practice and bring in more Indian teachers. We also want to provide professional education exclusively to seven to 10 kids that will be completely result-oriented,” concludes Marat.

Chasing dreams

Sunil Vishnu K, founder of Chennai-based theatre company Evam, talks about his group’s success story, adapting Five Point Someone into a play and roping in author Chetan Bhagat for a cameo.

When Sunil Vishnu K, a commerce graduate from Bhopal met Karthik Kumar, a chemical graduate from Chennai at the Mudra Institute of Communications (MICA) in Ahmedabad in 2006, little did he know that his life would change forever. Though both the youngsters had taken admission in the premier institute to pursue their MBA in marketing communications, their passion for theatre brought them together. They not only revived MICA’s theatre group Sankalp but also did a joint thesis on the feasibility of an entertainment company with theatre as the core offering. But rather than limiting this subject to just a thesis, they actually decided to turn it into reality. After completing their education, they took up corporate jobs to make their capital. Finally in 2003, the duo quit their respective jobs and moved to Chennai to set up their dream company, Evam.

Today after eight years, they have not only staged several plays in various parts of the country but also have a thriving business that aims to make the world happier. They conduct ‘happy factory corporate shows’ whereby they create entertainment content for stakeholders of various multi-national companies and also conduct workshops, specialised training modules for corporates and interactions with students.

Interestingly, the name Evam was derived from a Bengali play — Evam Indrajit written by renowned Bengali dramatist and director Badal Sarkar — that Sunil and Karthik had performed at MICA.

Explaining his company’s ideology, Sunil says, “We are not trained actors but we love storytelling. The whole idea was to set up a company that would connect and empower youngsters to participate in theatre. Since the last decade, there is a pre-conceived notion among people that theatre is an art form that appeals only to a niche audience. But we wanted to dispel that myth with Evam.”

Initially, the group started adapting humorous works of UK and US writers. “The idea was to attract audiences to theatre and generate interest,” adds Sunil. Once they were successful in doing that, they started focussing on doing a play that was set in the Indian milieu to which youngsters could relate in terms of characters and story. That’s when they came up with the idea of staging Chetan Bhagat’s Five Point Someone. But rather than directing it themselves, they decided to produce it four years ago when another theatre group Midas Players staged the play in Chennai and Bengaluru. “It was more of a test run,” says Sunil. But seeing the potential of the book, he decided to take matters in his own hand. “Five Point Someone is easily the largest-selling work of fiction in Indian English writing of this decade. It’s an entertaining and engaging story so we thought of reviving the project in October 2009. We approached Chetan and sought his help. His advice was simple: Remain true to the story,” he elaborates.

Sunil and his troupe roped in six writers from different age groups to retain the novel’s flavour in the play and started sending Chetan drafts regularly. The entrepreneur also stepped into the picture as the director and roped in a new cast that comprised professional actors as well as newbies. “There are several people who come from different professions but have a passion for theatre. We went to Bengaluru for auditions and specifically selected such individuals who were new to acting as we wanted a certain rawness to the play,” says Sunil.

But ask the director if he was under any pressure to meet the audience’s expectations as 3 Idiots that was also based on the same novel went on to break several box-office records and he says, “When we were creating the play in October 2009, we didn’t have a clue about the film. We were not under any pressure while putting together the performance as our focus was to condense the 200-page novel into a two-hour play. It’s a simple story about three friends and their experiences at IIT. So we focussed on creating the memories of the protagonists through lighting and followed a simple design on the stage. “

The play finally premiered on January 24 last year at IIT Chennai and got a stupendous response. Since then, it has had 40-45 shows across India and each time the audiences have been an eclectic mix of former IIT students, current engineering students and youngsters.

As for the major challenges that Sunil and his cast followed, the director smiles and says, “Usually theatre companies work on plays that are written by people who are dead or unreachable. But here everything was right in front of us. We had to stay true to a writer who exists here and now and not be tempted to change the tone of the book in our play.”

Since last year, the play has evolved constantly. Not only new actors have been added but they have also incorporated local lingo in their dialogues depending on the place where the production was being staged.

But the highlight of the play, when it premieres in Mumbai on February 25, is the author’s cameo in it. This is the first time Chetan Bhagat will be seen on stage. “We were exploring to do it for quite some time. The idea is simple: It’s Chetan’s work out there on which our play is based so we just want to use the opportunity to explore him,” signs off Sunil on a light note.

Five Point Someone will premiere at Mumbai’s National Centre for Performing Arts on February 25.

'Theatre is always close to my heart'

Chetan Bhagat recently made his stage debut with Five Point Someone, based on his best-seller of the same name. The author shares his experience, reveals his plans about adapting 2 States:The Story Of My Marriage for a play and what readers can expect from his next novel.

What was your reaction when you learnt that the Chennai-based group Evam was staging Five Point Someone?

I was very pleased. When they told me about their production, I wanted to encourage them as I could relate to them. Evam has been started by Sunil Vishnu K and Kartik Kumar who have an MBA degree but gave it all up to pursue their passion that was theatre. Similarly, even I had given up my cushy investment banking job to pursue writing. I had not seen the play when it premiered in Bengaluru and Chennai last year. But whenever they would finish a draft, they would send it me and I must say they have been very loyal to the book.

What was your response when they wanted you to do a cameo in the play that premiered in Mumbai recently?

I was game for it. Theatre is close to my heart as I owe all my writing to it. I used to write and direct a lot of plays in college but I never acted in them. The story of Five Point Someone is dear to me. So in a way my cameo was a tribute to the novel that made me who I am today. I was clear that there would be no commercial aspect involved in it.

Were you nervous about making your debut on stage?

Yes, though I deliver a lot of motivational speeches and do book-reading sessions, acting on stage is a different ball-game. I was nervous as it was a live performance where I was acting in front of so many people and there was no scope for any retakes. Though I was seen in a small role, I had to go for rehearsals and it was quite funny to say lines that were actually written by me.

Who are your favourite Indian playwrights?

I love Alyque Padamsee’s plays. I also enjoy watching Broadway productions, I hope Indian theatre reaches such a level and we stage at least one or two productions on a grand scale.

Do you ever plan to write any plays?

Yes, I would love to write plays. Right now I’m also in talks with the National Centre for Performing Arts to adapt my last novel 2 States:The Story Of My Marriage for the stage.

Your third novel Three Mistakes Of My Life is also being adapted for the big screen by filmmaker Abhishek Kapoor. How closely did you work with him and what is the status of the project right now?

I helped Abhishek with the screenplay and I’m happy with the way the story has shaped up. Right now, the director is busy casting for the film.

According to you, which actor should portray the lead role?

I don’t suggest actors at all (Laughs). That is completely the director’s call. Today the audience wants actors who can do justice to the role, so I’m sure Abhishek will take the right call.

2 States:The Story Of My Marriage is also being made into a film. Will you also be actively involved in it?

I'm in talks with producer Sajid Nadiadwala and director Vishal Bhardwaj, but nothing has been finalised yet.

How does it feel to have your novels adapted into movies?

It feels good, my only contention is that the films should stay true to my books.
When will your next novel hit the stands? And what can readers expect from it?
I’m working on it right now and I hope to launch it by Diwali. It will definitely be youth-centric like my previous works but this time readers can expect the unexpected.

How do you unwind after a long, hard day?

I usually have my hands full with my book and my columns. But since my wife goes to work, I stay back at home and take care of my children. They are my greatest stress-busters.

A tryst with theatre

Jennifer Kapoor performed various roles with great finesse. She was not only a dutiful daughter but also a loving wife, a caring mother and a visionary who set up the Prithvi Theatre in Mumbai. Screen pays a tribute to the actress on her 78th birth anniversary.

If Jennifer Kapoor, nee Kendal, would have been alive today, she would have been 78 on February 28. Daughter of Sangeet Natak Academi Award winners Geoffrey Kendal and Laura Liddell, the actress par excellence developed an Indian connect after she moved here with her parents at the age of 13. In a career spanning over five decades, the only constant factor in her life was theatre. It was this art form that drew the light-eyed beauty to India, helped her find a life-partner in actor Shashi Kapoor, prompted her to set up Prithvi Theatre in suburban Mumbai and give a new lease of life to stagecraft in our country.

India beckons

Jennifer was born in 1933 at Southport, England. Her eternal bond with India started, thanks to her parents who first came here during the Second World War in 1939 as part of the Entertainment National Service Association that organised performances for the British troops. The couple fell in love with the country and were besotted by its beauty and people. After returning to the United Kingdom, they decided to set up their own theatre company — Shakespearana—- as it was becoming increasingly difficult for them to sustain due to the economic depression. They decided to take a chance and return to India.

Sanjna Kapoor, Jennifer’s daughter and director of Prithvi Theatre, says, “It was during my grandparents’ second visit to India that they brought along my mother when she was 13. Before leaving UK, they met her school principal and told her that since they would be away for a year, they did not wish to leave her behind. The principal was happy as she felt that my mother would get a better education by visiting another country. “

However, Jennifer never went back to school. She joined her parents’ theatre company and started travelling extensively across India right from villages to schools in small towns. In those days, a theatre company comprised only 15 people, so everyone had to do everything, right from designing costumes to painting backdrops, handing out leaflets, promoting their productions through loudspeakers and urging audiences to come and watch their work. Though Laura would often play the female lead, once she grew older, Jennifer stepped into her shoes and acted in modern classics penned by renowned writers like Noel Coward and George Bernard Shaw.

Love at first sight

Jennifer first met Shashi Kapoor in 1956 when she travelled to Calcutta (now Kolkata) with her parents where Shakespearana was to stage a play. But when the Kendals reached the venue, the manager told them apologetically that they could perform only after a few days as a successful Indian company’s shows had been extended due to public demand. That group was Prithviraj Kapoor’s Prithvi Theatres.
After the veteran Indian actor learnt about the Kendals’ ordeal, he invited them to watch his group’s shows every night. Sanjna says, “My father was just 18 at that time and he worked as a third assistant stage-manager. Every night he would peek through the curtain to see if the venue was full or not and it was on one such occasion that he saw my mother and fell for her beauty.”

Shashi and Jennifer, however, actually got to know each other many years later when they met in Mumbai. They became close friends after the handsome actor joined Shakespearana and performed with the company for two years. Sanjna recalls vividly, “My father found it quite difficult to learn the lines and perform in English plays. On one occasion, he wrote in his diary, ‘My tongue felt like a piece of lead in my mouth while delivering all those heavy English dialogues.’”

Later, Shashi went on to act in several classics. Though Shashi and Jennifer were as different as chalk and cheese, theatre bonded them and they soon tied the knot. The light-eyed actress was a woman of many talents and would later design her husband’s costumes for his films. The proud daughter recalls vividly, “I was 10 when my parents were shooting for my father’s production, Shyam Benegal’s National Award-winning film Junoon. My mother not only designed all the western costumes but also hand-stitched all the bonnets worn by the actresses. Our drawing-room had turned into a tailor’s den replete with lace, ribbons and buttons. She was very good at stitching and though she tried to teach me, even today I sew a button with great difficulty!”

A new beginning

After her marriage, Jennifer was clear that she wanted to take care of her family. But she was in for a big surprise. Her husband wanted to build a theatre to give an impetus to the art form in India. Sanjna says animatedly, “We always thought that the idea to build Prithvi Theatre was my parents’ mutual decision. But it came as a huge surprise to us when my aunt, actress Felicity Kendal, who was writing a book on my mother, came across her letters in which she had written, ‘Shashi has gone mad, he wants to build a theatre.’ Though Prithvi Theatre was my father’s idea, it was my mother who executed and breathed life into it. The arrangement was simple - while my father would earn money to finance it, my mother would be more hands-on.”

A few years after Prithviraj Kapoor’s demise, Shashi and Jennifer set up a trust in his memory and bought land with the intention of building a theatre to promote the performing arts. They roped in architect Ved Segan to build Prithvi Theatre. But the surprising aspect was that Ved had never built a building, so they sent him on a visitorship to UK to study theatre spaces and watch shows in them to get a better understanding of the function a space was supposed to serve. After his return, Jennifer and Ved worked closely to design an intimate space with excellent acoustics and a pervasive feel of theatre.

Sanjna says, “There were huge spaces in Mumbai like the Tejpal and Patkar Halls where a lot of Gujarati and Marathi productions were staged but there was no dedicated space for Hindi plays. The whole idea was to give a platform to Hindi troupes and provide professional amenities and space.”

Shashi and Jennifer were also clear that the space should cater to the needs of the actors. Sanjna explains, “Since they had faced various problems while performing at diverse venues like the Opera House, school halls, fields with tables tied together and proscenium theatres, they knew what were the desperate needs of the actors. Usually we take care of the foyer, the seats and the audience needs, but we often forget about actors who hardly have any backstage space or good dressing- rooms. But my parents took care of all of that within the tiny space of Prithvi Theatre.”

In order to provide all kinds of amenities to artistes, Shashi would often throw surprises at Jennifer and Ved. Sanjna describes how a few weeks before the theatre was supposed to open, he demanded that air-conditioning should be installed at the venue. “They had to make a lot of adjustments and change things as the venue was not designed for air conditioning. But finally they managed it. My parents would have a lot of arguments about various things like the height of the stage, the seating arrangement etc.”

Finally Prithvi Theatre opened its doors to the public on November 3, 1978 with a play staged by the theatre group IPTA (Indian People’s Theatre Association). But unfortunately the troupe was not prepared and the opening had to be called off. After two days, Majma, a group comprising actors Om Puri and Naseeruddin Shah, stepped in to open Prithvi with the Hindi play Udhvast Dharamshala.
While this set the ball rolling, it took some time for people to actually come and watch plays at the venue. So the artistes would use different means to attract audiences and sell tickets. Veteran actor-director Dinesh Thakur says, “We used to go to traffic signals and sell each ticket at Rs 5. I was a star then, so I would convince people to buy tickets. They would buy four just to please me but never turn up for the plays.”

1979 - A Golden year for Prithvi Theatre

1979 proved to be pivotal as it was during that year that the venue, which was till then called as Prithvi Theatre Workshops (PTW), was re-christened as Prithvi Theatre. Explaining the change, Om Katare of Yatri Group says, “The place where Prithvi Theatre is built was actually the venue where Prithviraj Kapoor would rehearse. So it came to be called as PTW. But in 1979, Jennifer came up to us and told us that we should stop experimenting and turn professional. That was how the word workshop was dropped.”

Om goes on to explain that Jennifer was very supportive of all the groups and always encouraged them to rehearse diligently. He says, “She would ask us to rehearse regularly at the theatre till our play was staged. She believed that we should be so comfortable with our surroundings that we shouldn’t feel that we are acting. She also gave us access to Prithvi House, the space opposite the theatre, which was earlier Prithvirajji’s residence, to conduct our rehearsals. Today we have to book a theatre before a month just to have the final dress rehearsal.”

Shashi and Jennifer also watched plays regularly to hone young talent. Feroz Abbas Khan, who first met Jennifer in 1979 when he acted along with Shafi Inamdar in Pkshuff, says, “After the performance, Jennifer came backstage and appreciated us. She was so generous with her comments. It was a tradition that Shashi and Jennifer would attend each show of every play. Despite being owners, they always insisted on buying tickets.”

A people’s person

Apart from being actively involved with theatre, Jennifer was also a humble person who enjoyed immense popularity. Feroz says, “Every Monday, though the theatre would be shut, Jennifer would be there. One would feel extremely calm and relaxed after talking to her. She was like a saint who was full of compassion.”
Dinesh couldn’t agree more. He says that Jennifer was also a stickler for cleanliness, who believed in doing everything on her own. He explains, “I used to address her fondly as bhabhi. When her car entered the gate, she would alight and pick up the stray leaves and papers without asking the workers to do so. Such was her simplicity.”

Om, who started his career with Prithvi Theatre, confesses that Jennifer was also strict about the groups being professional and using all the resources to the optimum. He says, “My play Rajneeti had premiered in 1979. I had used a thin piece of cloth to hide the stream of light that was falling on the audience. After the performance, she reprimanded me, saying that I should have used a thick cloth that would not have disturbed the audience. She always said ‘We are offering all kinds of facilities to you. You should know how to use them.’”

Dinesh recalls how Jennifer offered all the costumes of Junoon for his play Jaane Na Doongi. He recalls, “Jennifer just opened the bag without me asking her. She told me, ‘You can use whatever you like, I just want the performance to be good.’ And those clothes actually added a new dimension to my play.”

End of the road

From 1979, Prithvi Theatre gradually turned into a hub where young and old groups aspired to perform. To celebrate the success of the venue, Jennifer came up with the idea of the Prithvi Theatre Festival in 1983. Feroz, who worked with her for the festival, says, “She was keen to get all theatre companies under one roof and motivate them to give their best productions. She wanted more interaction among all the groups and believed that together they can make a difference to theatre.”

But while her dream was in the process of being realised, personally she was going through a tough phase. Feroz recalls how on the last day of the festival, he learnt that she was suffering from cancer and was flying abroad for treatment. He says, “Initially even she wasn’t informed about the seriousness of the disease. Despite going into therapy, she continued working. I met her for the last time at her place where she was in the midst of preparations as her parents were supposed to perform at Prithvi. Such was her level of commitment.”

Om, who was staging his new play on September 7, 1984 when Jennifer passed away, still remembers everything vividly. He says, “We were just about to start our play when the news of her death came in. Her huge photo was put up outside the theatre. It was quite difficult for us to perform as we were staging a comedy play Unse Mili Nazar. We paid our condolences and in true spirit of the Kapoor family followed the dictum ‘The show must go on’. The audience was in no mood to laugh, it was only after 45 minutes into the performance that they started letting themselves go.”

Today thousands of shows have been held at Prithvi Theatre. Every year 550 shows are held that are attended by around 75,000 people, all thanks to the vision and passion of one lady - Jennifer Kapoor.

As Feroz says on a parting note, “Jennifer was born for theatre and she died for theatre.”

Turn back time

Sons Of Babur, based on Salman Khurshid’s book of the same name, juxtaposes history with the present age while raising fundamental questions about India’s identity.

Salman Khurshid, Minister of State (Independent Charge) for the Corporate Affairs and the Minority Affairs penned a book Sons Of Babur: A Play In Search Of India 2008 that combined history with a contemporary flavour and gave readers a chance to learn more about the Mughal era. An English play based on the book of the same name is now being staged at the National Centre for Performing Arts in Mumbai.

The last Mughal emperor Bahadur Shah Zafar is the central figure of the production that features about 20 actors with legendary Tom Alter in the lead role, who has also directed the play. Sons Of Babur revolves around Bahadur Shah, who pines for his beloved Delhi and takes solace in his poetry, while languishing in exile in faraway Rangoon. In the contemporary era, he has an ardent admirer in Rudranshu Mitra, a university student of history, who is seeking a grant to visit Bahadur Shah’s grave in Myanmar for his research work. Gradually, the play swings between fantasy and reality, logic and emotion, as Rudranshu is so obsessed with the life of the last Mughal that he has a supernatural experience that transports him to meet Bahadur Shah in person. Rudranshu is then taken on a guided tour by the emperor himself through various milestone events of the Mughal era and the duo effortlessly slides into the world of Babur, Humayun, Akbar, Jahangir, Shahjahan and Aurangzeb.
Through the play, Khurshid seems to have explored his own roots in Afghanistan from where his ancestors came to make India their permanent home. His ancestral home of Qaimgunj in Uttar Pradesh was once a collection of mullahs of Pathans and while writing this play, the politician visited Babur’s grave in Kabul. On one hand, Sons Of Babur examines the contribution of individual Mughals and makes subtle forays into questions of right and wrong, while on the other hand, it also traverses between past and present and imagination and reality.

The play’s Urdu and Hindi versions were based on the translations of Ather Farouqui, a freelance writer with a Ph.D. from Jawaharlal Nehru University in New Delhi. Both these versions that premiered last December have been directed by Dr. M Sayeed Alam, who has earlier helmed productions like Maulana Azad and Mirza Ghalib, and featured Tom Alter as Bahadur Shah Zafar. Alter, who is helming the English version, says he became a part of the project after Farouqi approached him and Dr Alam. Both of them liked the original idea and gradually things began to shape up.

What attracted Alter to the project was the different take on history. He says, “I loved the audacity of the concept. It takes a fresh look at Mughal history, through the combined eyes of a student of today, and an aging and exiled Bahadur Shah Zafar.” The prolific actor-director, who was also a part of the Hindi version, explains how he made subtle changes to the English version. He says, “Though the story remains the same, I have only fine-tuned it and made slight dramatic changes to suit the language. We recreated both the eras through different lighting and sets.”

Ask him about Khurshid’s contribution to the project and he says, “Salman sahib has guided us right through, he has not interfered, but guided us. It is his vision of art, history and Hindustan which makes this play possible.”

The actor, who has impressed us with his acting prowess in productions like Tughlaq, Waiting For Godot, City Of Djinns, Black With Equals, didn’t find it too difficult to balance acting with direction. “ I have found immense joy in not only portraying the role of the emperor but also directing this production. Directing was a natural outgrowth of acting in the play. As far as challenges are concerned, I love history and poetry, so the mood was not difficult. I simply imagined myself exiled from India, and dying in a foreign land,” he laughs out aloud.

Alter, a self-confessed fan of art and literature who has also written several essays on Hindi, Urdu and English theatre, says that Sons Of Babur helped him broaden his perspective about Indian history. He says excitedly, “My limited knowledge but deep passion for literature and history was a great help while acting in and directing this play. And by doing this marvellous production, my knowledge and passion have found new meaning.”

Sons Of Babur was staged at Mumbai’s National Centre for Performing Arts on March 11.

Songstress with a soul

Grammy winner Angelique Kidjo on early beginnings, her future plans and how music fuels her life

Time Magazine calls her Africa’s premier diva. Her fans believe that she is Africa’s most internationally celebrated female musical exponent. Meet Angelique Kidjo, a Grammy Award-winning, celebrated Jazz singer, composer and performer, who performed in Mumbai recently. The artiste who was born in Benin has won the hearts of several people across the globe with her striking voice, philanthropic work and fluency in multiple languages. Her genre of music is largely identified as African and World. Apart from collaborating with artistes like Bono, Peter Gabriel and Carlos Santana, Kidjo has also mesmerised audiences on countless stages, including performing at the concert to kick-start the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa.

In her new album Oyo, Kidjo revisits the music that was instrumental in her artistic formation in Benin, the country whose communist dictatorship she fled in the early ‘80s. In this album, she even reinterprets a song — Dil main chupa ke pyar ka from the 1953 Hindi film Aan.

In an exclusive interview with Screen, she shares her passion for music and her Indian connection.

Were you excited to perform in India?

I was very excited and was looking forward to play in front of the Indian public as I respect your culture very much. I have been to Mumbai before. I performed there once with the great Trilok Gurtu. I had a very fond memory of the city, its honking cabs and incredible market. I love Indian fabrics. I am sure I’ll find time to visit the textile market again!

Why did you choose Jazz as a genre?

I have never done the same kind of album. So now my fans know that my musical style will always evolve. But in a way there is a strong unity in all the music I have done: they are all influenced by my African roots. And these roots, throughout the history of slavery, have travelled far away from my hometown. This is why I never feel I’m lost!

You have infused different genres like Afropop, Caribbean Zouk, Jazz, Gospel and Latin styles in your music. What prompted you to do so?

I think the biggest influence for me was traditional music from my country Benin. At age six, I could sing all the folk songs: the first time I sang on stage, it was the traditional Atcha houn that is featured on Oyo. As a teenager, I discovered with my brothers the music from America and England. I would not change my musical education as being exposed at an early age to the creativity of the ‘60s and the funkiness of the ‘70s was a blessing for me.

You are proficient in four languages (Fon, French, Yoruba and English) and have also come up with new words in your songs. Do you love languages and how did you think of introducing new words?

It is not a language per se: I just make up words that sound good to me musically like Wombo Lombo, Batonga etc...- Speaking of language, on Oyo, you perform the songs of American artists whose lyrics you often didn’t understand as a child but still loved.

You are involved with a lot of philanthropic activities. What prompts you to be so actively involved in it?

When I started to work with UNICEF, I discovered that education is the only long-term solution to change the face of the African continent. Girls in Africa (and I am pretty sure in India also) have a lesser access to education so I decided to support them in five countries in Africa. Because I realise how lucky I was as a little girl to have a loving family that provided education and health care for me. I need to give back to my continent so that everyone can have the same opportunity.

What are your future plans?

I just recorded a song for a Lullaby album with Carla Bruni, Martha Wainwright and Madonna. I sung for the next Red Hot and Rio album. I am working on a concert with the Luxembourg orchestra, and on a book. My life is so busy, I don’t have time to get bored!

You have collaborated with various artistes and experimented with various genres of your music in your career. Do you plan to collaborate with any Indian artistes? Just like Africa, even India is a melting pot of cultures. What kind of Indian music do you like?

I love Anouska Shankar and I just met an Indian singer Chandrika Tandon who was nominated at the Grammy with me. I have played Talvin Singh and Trilok Gurtu. Indian music has a lot in common with African grooves.
What kind of music did you grow up listening to and which artistes did you idolise?
I think Miriam Makeba is my greatest influence. Her success showed me that you could be an African woman and be successful, respected and be an ambassador of your continent. It was great growing up with eight brothers and sisters, amidst a variety of culture and musical traditions. It has shaped my musical career: people always note that my style is not purely traditional, it is because not only did I learn all the traditional songs but also the music from Stax, Motown and… Bollywood.

How did you get interested in music?

I love the stage. The first time I sung in public, I was six and I have been hooked ever since. So my passion is touring all over the world and meeting a new audience. My mother is the one who put me on stage and it has changed my life forever. I haven’t left the stage ever since!

How would you define your music?

I am convinced that music is a universal language and that it has the power to create a bond between people from different cultures. It helps us understand each other better. You don’t need to be an Indian to like Sitar or Tabla. It’s the same thing with African music.

Angelique Kidjo performed at Mumbai’s Blue Frog on March 10 and the National Centre for Performing Arts on March 11.

Breaking new grounds

Shweta Tiwari portrayed 13 characters in a solo performance in Saif Hyder Hasan’s new play Aaine Ke Sau Tukde.

An actor playing diverse characters in one film has entertained and enthralled audiences. Whether it was the late Sanjeev Kumar enacting nine personalities in Naya Din Nayi Raat (1974) or Priyanka Chopra entertaining us with her histrionics as 12 different girls in Ashutosh Gowariker’s What’s Your Rashee (2009), such films have given actors an opportunity to showcase their acting prowess. Fresh from the success of Bigg Boss 4, television actress Shweta Tiwari recently took up such a challenge and portrayed 13 characters of both genders in a solo performance in Saif Hyder Hasan’s Aaine Ke Sau Tukde.

The play essentially deals with sibling rivalry between identical twins––Meenal and Maanya. Meenal leads a happy childhood till Maanya, who was living with her uncle, is brought back home. Gradually Meenal starts feeling neglected and lives under Maanya’s shadow. The solo act starts off with a 40-year-old Meenal recounting her life to the audience and gradually enacting all the characters who have played a pivotal part in her life.

Undoubtedly this was the most challenging role for Shweta. The doe-eyed beauty admits that she was very apprehensive while taking up this project. Says Shweta, “After reading the script, I realised that there were many characters. I asked Hasan innocently,’Which actors are essaying these roles?’ and he told me candidly that he expected me to portray all of them. I was at my wit’s end. He tried to convince me a lot but I kept on refusing. Finally he asked me to come for a rehearsal and asked me to enact all the characters.” What followed next even surprised Shweta. She realised that she could play all the 13 characters albeit with a lot of effort.

Explaining how she went about it, she says, “Hasan asked me to imagine every individual’s social background and their mannerisms and encouraged me to enact each character differently. I have played a two-year-old girl, a mother, grandmother, teacher, nurse and lawyer in this production. I also played male characters like Meenal’s childhood friend, a 10-year-old boy, her uncle etc. Usually people have seen me as a delicate, feminine actress in my tele-serials, but for the first time they got a chance to see other shades of my personality. But there isn’t a single character that is similar to my off-screen personality.”

The leggy actress also confesses that it was quite an ordeal to enact these roles and it inadvertently took a toll on her. She says, “There were times when I felt like a loser as I couldn’t get the right nuances. This role made me cry and drained me emotionally.”

Interestingly, the play has been revived after five years. Titled Mirror Mirror On The Wall, it was first staged in 2006 and starred tele-actress Payal Nair. Though it had small performances, it garnered good reactions. Hasan, who had directed it then, thought of reviving it after he showed the script to his friend, actor Joy Sengupta. After the latter liked it, the director thought of staging it in Hindi. He says, “I took liberty with my own work and turned it into a quasi-surreal play. I wanted to rope in an actress who is not only good but is popular. I was also keen to stage it on a larger scale.”

Not surprisingly, the director is all praises for Shweta. He says, “She is instinctive, spontaneous and hardworking. Shweta gave me a lot of inputs and revised some scenes that only enhanced the whole production. She plays a dark, quirky character who is lovable. Meenal’s character is like a tragic hero of a Shakespearean play.”

Hasan is planning to stage the play abroad and already has seven shows lined up this month within Mumbai.

Aaine Ke Sau Tukde premiered on March 13 at Mumbai’s Rangsharda Auditorium.