The world is a stage

HYDERABAD: The blue-eyed actor of Bollywood Tom Alter has a multi-faceted personality -apart from being an actor, writer and sports columnist, 64-year-old Tom Alter is also a theatre person portraying stalwarts of poetry and art. The actor was in town for his musical play on Sahir Ludhianvi as part of Hyderabad Literary Festival.
Clad in a black sherwani and white pyjama, he looks every bit like a sahib from the Raj era.But when he speaks in his deep voice, which women drool over, you will be overwhelmed by the choicest Urdu words that he speaks with precise talaffuz (pronunciation).“Urdu is very close to my heart. I was always fascinated by the sweetness of this language. Agar maine Urdu seekhi, toh mere waldein (parents) kii wajah sey. They always encouraged me to learn it. But Ustad Jalib Zahiri and Mohammed Rafiq taught me the language when I was 22.“
While playing his roles he never tries to copy the character he plays. “I try to understand the emotions that the character in his real life may have experienced. Andar ek josh saa aa jaat hai character play karte waqt aur wahi main drame mein dikhane kii koshish karta hun. For playing my characters I do my research. For example Sahir kii ghazalon mein khyal bahot hain aur tanhai ko gaana badi baat hai.” He regrets that even when Sahir Ludhianvi was alive he could never meet him. “Sahir Sahab ke bahot charche suney thhey, I have never even visited his bungalow named ‘Parchhaiyan’. But I feel every time I play his character I get closer to him. He was a revolutionary full of angst and zidd. You can call this roohani rishta,” he says murmuring a couplet of another of his favourite poet Faiz Ahmed Faiz.
He has also played KL Saigal on stage 30-40 times. “I wasn't a big fan of his, but now I know who Saigal is -he was ahead of his time,“ he says.Tom is also playing the roles of legendary Urdu poet Mirza Ghalib, the last Mughal King Bahadur Shah Zafar, modern Urdu poet Faiz Ahmed, art stalwart Maqbool Fida Husain and poet-politician Maulana Abul Kalam Azad. “One thing that binds me to these artists and poets is humanity that they present in their works. They connect you to pain.“
Talk about his picturesque hometown where he was born and his blue eyes shine. He smiles, “Mussoorie is a small town, but very beautiful. We Mussoorie people think of ourselves as `teesmaar khans'. Dehradun people complain that they have to hold their necks high to look up to our town, thanks to the altitude.“
And what does he think about Hyderabad? “This is not the first time that I have come to Hyderabad. Its old tehzeeb is still standing proudly on its door, welcoming all. Mujhe yehaan ke log bade achhe lagtey hain,“ he answers dreamily.