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| Edited By: Deepali Singh |Source: DNA |Updated: Aug 21, 2017, 07:51 PM IST
Meeting Naseeruddin Shah is bound to be an awe-inspiring affair. No matter how many times you meet him, your heart beats a little faster and the mouth feels a little dry, before you can shoot off the first question. But all it takes is a comfortable pat on the back from him and half a smile to ease the tension. He’s just woken up from a nap, in between rehearsing for his latest play, The Father, based on French playwright Florian Zeller — the most ambitious one till date for Motley, his theatre production company. The tragic farce, a family drama on one level, and a searing picture of mental dysfunction on another, will have a month-long run at the NCPA Experimental, a first for the country where theatre is concerned. In between bouts of laughter — and he does that quite a lot — Naseer discusses the project, the dearth of good comedy scripts in the country and his upcoming projects.
I wanted the whole company to get a taste of what it’s like to work in a theatre professionally. Even though one can’t pay them as much as they deserve as professionals, but I think it will prove to be a very valuable experience for all the actors and the team. I’ve been though this a few times abroad, performing for six months continuously every night, except for Sundays and it can be very tiring. Especially if the play turns out bad, it can be sheer hell! But it also has immense benefits, in terms of staying focused on one job for a period like a month. Of course, in England, normally actors have to do it for a period of six months, then the cast changes. So these plays that run for 20-25 years, the cast is recycled.
I know it’s a risk. We may end up losing a lot of money, but that’s alright. I’m not doing theatre for money anyway. The money comes from the movies. Luckily, over the last few years, our theatre has also brought us a bit of revenue, where we’re able to pay actors decent money. If it works, it works. If the audience doesn’t take to it, it’s part of the risk of the job. But I feel that they will. Even though the play is a bit complex, I think every family has had a person like this. Or they have seen someone very close, so they will be able to connect with the state of mind of this man. Because the whole play is seen from his perspective, which is a muddled reality. The play doesn’t follow a linear progression and that is yet another risk. Since the kind of movies I do are not always of my taste, theatre is a place where I can have fun with my beliefs.
One of my beliefs when it comes to theatre, a very strong one in fact, is that the magic of theatre is in the stimulation you can provide the audience’s imagination. Theatre is trying to mimic movies too much and that, to my mind, is a wrong tree to be barking under. You can never create the same illusion, no matter how many crores you spend on it. The audience never forgets they are in a theatre. This is a play, you’re an audience and we’re actors.
I always like to begin my plays with the ritual where we like to chat with the audience. And I don’t mind the actors being seen backstage. What’s the need of creating a bloody mystery about it? It creates a barrier which I would like to destroy. And I think with this play, I might be able to do it because it will be demanding for the audience, the content itself and the form, because we’re not using any props at all. They are all imaginary, but you hear the sounds of the objects. So hopefully, it will take the audience into the space of this man. He hallucinates, sees things which are not there, hears voices. Hopefully, it won’t blow the audience’s mind so much, that they say, ‘What is this?’ (guffaws) But even if they do, it’s fine, because I think that’s the playwright’s intention. To help them share the mind-space of a person who is suffering this, to create an awareness that this is an illness and not under anyone’s control. The person who’s doing it is not doing it to bug the hell out of you. He’s not doing it. It’s his illness. So, I’m hoping for some association with the Alzheimer’s society. At some point, I will invite them to see the play. If it works — the form I’m trying, and I’m confident it will — then hopefully the useful purpose it can serve is to create awareness about this dreaded disease.
They would be sticking their necks out to do this. And it wouldn’t have an effect in the sense you’re suggesting, that it will create a professional theatre in India. That won’t happen. There was a professional theatre in Marathi that has also practically died away. There was one in Gujarati, which unfortunately degenerated into bedroom comedies and plays stolen from the West. But I would recommend others to try it. It’s not a question of resources really, there are so many alternate spaces available these days, where you don’t have to pay through your nose. The point is to show to young theatre workers also that you don’t need a massive organisation to produce a play. All you need, is a team of actors and a good script and some imagination. But I’m not so foolishly optimistic that it will change the theatre scene in Mumbai or anything like that.
Sure, but I don’t underestimate the intelligence of the audience. I know that this will not be the audience which goes to see comedy plays or Hindi movies. It will be the audience that comes to see our work and which encourages us and which appreciates our work. For them, it will be a moment of recognition, possibly disturbing, but one which they will be able to face. It won’t be the audience that whistles and throws coins. That’s not the audience that comes to see our plays anyway and I’m glad they don’t! (laughs)
So, I did Welcome Back and Waiting.
Now I’m not getting any work in movies! Now Ratna’s getting work. She’s bringing in the money and I’m very glad to do theatre. (laughs)
That was a beautiful script. That’s one of the best films I’ve done. I have been offered others but I didn’t feel excited by them.
I have done a small role in a Gujarati film directed by Manish Tiwari. It’s a wonderful story about a group of children who watch a magic show and ask the magician how can we pass in our exams? I’m playing the magician. Then I did one scene in Neeraj Pandey’s new film Aiyyary. Its’ a wonderful scene and I really wanted to work with him again. I have done a film called The Hungry, which is in English and should be out soon. It’s going to Toronto Film Festival. It is an adaptation of Shakespeare’s play called Titus Andronicus, which was his first play apparently. It’s very brutal, bloodbath kind of play. It’s set in Uttar Pradesh in the film, in this zamindar family where they think nothing of chopping off people’s heads.
Yes, I wish I had done it. I think he did it himself. He got the next best actor. (laughs)
If I have a regret, it is only that. My abilities as a comic actor haven’t been used fully, but there’s still time. I have been offered roles the film industry considers comedy. My sense of humour is somewhat different from the film industry’s. We have made very few good comedies. Chalti Ka Naam Gaadi, Pyar Kiye Ja, Saadhu Aur Shaitan, Jaane Bhi Do Yaaron. So in 100 years, four comedies we have made? We don’t have a sense of humour.
Yes, I enjoyed doing those movies. Anees Bazmee is a fun guy, very organised, very sorted. He knows his formula well. I would love to work with him again. For me, enjoyment is the key word. I did Welcome Back because I thought I would enjoy it and I did.
