Staging the absurd: Filmmaker Kaizad Gustad makes theatre debut

It was almost 25 years ago that Kaizad Gustad wrote the play Less Than Zero, when he was a student at the New York University. “I did it as part of my NYU studies and then forgot about it,” recalls the filmmaker, who gave us movies like Bombay Boys, Boom, and Jackpot.

It was only a couple of years ago, that he came across the manuscript again and along with stage actor and producer, Denzil Smith, did a reading of it at a restaurant. “He was pushing me all along to do it professionally, and that’s how I’m here, otherwise I would not have known how to begin,” says Kaizad, who is making his debut today as a theatre director with the play at NCPA Centrestage.

Admitting that both the mediums — films and theatre — are different ballgames all together, he adds that he would love to write and direct more for the stage — he had so much fun doing this!  

KILLER INSTINCT

With Yashwant Singh, Salone Mehta and Nandita Dubey as part of the play, the play revolves around Zero, who wears a hat to keep the sky from falling on his head. “He’s obsessed with death. Ironically, the only time he comes alive is when he’s trying to kill himself!” Yashwant tells us. Two angels, in their own ways, try and prevent him from committing suicide, by constantly discouraging him from doing the deed.

“I’m the dark angel, so I’m slightly more cynical and matter-of-fact. I just want to get the work done — of protecting him — and leave,” Nandita says, as Salone adds that her angel character wants to linger. “She is very drawn to his perspective of the world and falls in love with his thoughts. According to her, he really wants to live but he wants to live with more joy than anyone else,” she says.

ABSURD AND HOW

According to Yashwant, Zero’s character is very pure, almost childlike. “You would think that his ultimate goal would be achieved if the sky falls on his head, but he wants the pure form. He wants to choose how he would die,” he says, adding that while it is a play about death, it is a hopeful play. “It’s not a sad, depressing, whiny play,” says Kaizad. “In England, this is called a piss-take, a genre where you take the mickey out of yourself and of life. So, it’s absolutely playful. Three actors let loose on stage for 90 minutes with a lot of gibberish and a lot of words,” he adds.

Calling this play Kaizad’s homage to Samuel Beckett and acknowledging that comparisons might be drawn to the playwright’s famous work, Waiting for Godot, producer Denzil says that while it is a completely different, it is quite absurd. “It’s a direct comment on the situation the world is in. There is no reason to live sometimes. It’s about the absurdity of us humans living in the world of today,” he adds.