The fault in our stars

Saif Hyder Hasan denies vehemently when asked if his next play, Gardish Mein Taare, is based on the lives of Guru and Geeta Dutt, the famous filmmaker-singer couple of the golden era of Hindi cinema. "It is inspired by their lives. It will be wrong to say that it is based on them. Though the play overall is set in the same era as Guru Dutt's. I have tried to recreate the times of 1950s of the Hindi film industry," he explains.

A trilogy
Gardish Mein Taare (GMT) is the second play in Hasan's trilogy of plays which deal with unrequited love, famous artistes, death and music. While Ek Mulaqat was inspired by Sahir Ludhianvi and Amrita Pritam, GMT shows a couple's life in film industry. "The third play in the trilogy will be inspired by the life of music maestro Bade Ghulam Ali Khan and his courtesan lover Hirabai," he reveals. The same team which worked for Ek Mulaqat has worked for this play as well. "And will work for the third play too, if all goes well," he chimes adding that "the mood of all these three plays is very similar. All set in the '50s era."

Gurus of filmmaking
Hasan claims to still live in the same old period. "The charm of old world has yet not left me. I still live in that era," he claims. And both his lead actors – Sonali Kulakrni and Arif Zakaria – can't agree more. Zakaria vouches for his knowledge of the films and industry. "Saif saab knows the songs, stories and films like the back of his hand. He is a chalti-phirti dictionary on that period," he says. When asked how he prepared for the role in the play, Zakaria says he didn't have to prepare much. "Theatre is a teacher for life. While working in plays, you come to learn to enact any character. Moreover, I could relate to the role in the play. It is about a filmmaker grappling with his personal life and career," he explains.

Old-world charm
Hasan agrees that it is not easy to get a perfect cast, but also says that he was luckier this time. "For Ek Mulaqat, my artistes chose me but for GMT, I chose my actors. Both Arif and Sonali were my first choice. I especially like the texture of Sonali's voice, and as far as Arif is concerned you will know why I chose him when you see the play," says Hasan. Sonali, on her part, considers herself to be "extremely lucky" to be part of the play. "It is fabulous looking like a yesteryear actress, living that life, indulging in that kind of creativity. People were so passionate about their work during that period. There was not much technology, yet the product was much more superior than today's. I actually want to thank this play for making my life so beautiful," she says.

Musical musings
Though there are four new songs in the play – one of them sung by famous singer Kumar Sanu -- Sonali too has lend her voice for few numbers in the play. "There are four new songs. Other than Sanu, Shail Hada and Neha Rajpal have sung songs by Privesh Singh," reveals Hasan. When asked if the play will also deal with extramarital angle he says, "There's hint of that. I have shown that two people maybe madly in love with each other, but it doesn't mean that they can live with each other," he says. GMT highlights how love may not always mean compatibility. "Come January 26, I am looking forward to only two things – hoisting flag in the morning and performing for the plaly in the evening," says Sonali excitedly.

(Gardish Mein Taare will be premiered at NCPA on January 26 at 7 pm)