Meherzad Patel looks into the lives of British monarchs and falls upon a secret!
There are no more kings and kingdoms in India. But that doesn't make us less inquisitive about lives of rajas and stories about rajwadas. Sonam Kapoor's recently released movie Khoobsurat, where she visits a princely state and falls for Prince Charming, proves our fascination with kings and their realm. And though we are not be ruled by British anymore, Diana and Kate Middleton are as popular in India as anywhere in the world. The UK royalty has always drawn curiosity – be it there history or lifestyle. And one curious case in question is the play by Meherzad Patel which revolves around the life of English monarchs.
Palace of dreams
"The Buckingham Secret is a comedy that deals with the lives of English royalty. Of course, the characters are not called Queen Elizabeth or Prince Williams, but they bear an uncanny resemblance to the live and personalities of the members of the royal family," explains Patel. Buckingham Palace is home to the British royal family. But there is a well-kept secret for over a century, which only the family butler knows and it is his job to keep this secret from leaking out. Everyone in the family portrays a royal image for the public, but behind closed doors, they have another identity which is at risk of being revealed to the world.
For common folks
But why only Royals? "We have always seen the royals in their public appearance. They are perfect. They are flawless. But deep down they are normal people like us. They too have problems and have their personal life. And they too have secret. The story plays with this idea in a lighter note. The result is this hilarious play," says Patel adding that "These popular personalities are also normal people. They are parents, husband, wife, siblings and friends at the end of the day. We have taken that aspect of their lives into consideration."
A huge canvas
Patel explains that it was not easy to create the Buckingham Palace. Moreover, as the story progressed, the team has to create three sets for one play. It came down to a rather expensive affair. "You can call it a musical without any music as the cost of production is pretty high for this one," he says. Though he started writing it more then a year ago, it is only now that the dream has become a reality. "I has the idea in August last year. But when I started writing it, the canvas expanded. It was not written to be played at such a large scale but eventually, with so much polishing and rewriting, the scale has to be increased," he says. Fali Unwalla has recreated a Buckingham Palace that fits a Mumbai stage, especially the circular one at the NCPA.
When and Where: September 28 at NCPA from 7 pm onwards
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