Under the moonlight, as local trains were explicit about their presence around The Park, theatre enthusiasts didn’t fuss about the humidity much, as the conversation, Little Nuances, between veterans Lillete Dubey and Mohammad Ali Baig was enough to captivate them beyond obvious distractions. As part of the Celebrating Theatre series, the two were at their candid best while discussing the dicey scene of the theatre in the country and how cinema and television continue to extract the best of talents.
Lillete, on the opposition that she faced from her academic family, an engineer father and a gynaecologist mother, admitted that her decision to choose arts and something as purist as theatre did come as a shock. “Luckily though, my father was a connoisseur of several fields. Unlike the specialist era we live in today, he could hold a conversation from literature to cinema to something that’s only about science too,” she said, while mentioning that she modelled on her mother in managing family and career at once. It was only in her middle ages that, she made an impromptu choice to start Primetime Theatre as a full-time commitment, which shall turn 25 next year.
Immensely vocal in her praise for the cultural diversity in the city, she stated that the residents possess the drive to sustain them in their DNA. “Alike Kolkata, this is one such place where the clothes, the poetry and the cuisine have a certain unmatched taste that draws you back. I can’t imagine the number of bags I shall be carrying if I begin to shop in the markets,” she jocularly quipped about her limited stay not permitting her enough time to move around.
One of her most popular plays that had nearly 520 shows worldwide, Dance Like A Man , which she’d produced, directed and also acted, had a terrific run in the city too. She was particularly in awe of an American journalist, who’d gone on to quote the influence of Natyashastra in his review.
In response to a question about how the city’s opening up to theatre, she replied, “The scene in Hyderabad is bettering with time. Unlike cinema, a mass media, theatre is about acquired taste. Like the concept of multiplier effect in Economics, you need to watch good plays to appreciate the form even more.”
As the conversation drew ahead, the comparisons with Delhi and Mumbai did arise and the answer wasn’t beyond expectations. “In Delhi, the number of theatre persons is only a handful whereas Mumbai is alike a crucible buzzing with quality and substantial variety all the time with plays in Marathi, Gujarat and Hindi boasting of good reach too,” she added.
Patting a shoulder to the efforts of Qadir Ali Baig Theatre Foundation to revive theatre in the city over the last years, she was suggestive about the development of new venues with time and also an exclusive theatre space, like a Prithvi for Mumbai. Failing to resist an international reference, she told, “An Edinburg is an example, where for a show I’d gone, the entire space in the village either housed performance spaces or bars only.”
An avid fan of Sarah Benhardt, a 19th century theatre actress prominent for essaying male roles, she understands that cinema has an important influence in her life, monetarily and even in developing her craft. “The medium teaches you to minimise the showiness of theatre. There’s minimalism and you begin to play with your eyes and expressions, not as openly as the former.” Interestingly, she dwelled on her plans to direct a film next year, as she also accepted her greediness as an actor was what keeping her way this long.
The National School of Drama, she added, has done little to make its presence felt in the country in terms of producing unique and region-specific playwrights. “I’ve had people abroad who want more of Bharatanatyam and other regional influences in our plays. However, we still are adamant on making adaptations of Shakespeare and other ones all the time. When we can’t make something of our own roots, who will?” she evoked good thought, as the session came to a close.
