You may remember her as a model, singer or Shah Rukh Khan’s love interest in the 1994 film Kabhi Haan Kabhi Naa, but the latest avatar of Suchitra Krishnamoorthi is that of a theatre actress. Suchitra’s play Drama Queen was staged at GD Birla Sabhagar on September 16. An AGP World production, the play was brought to town by Centre Stage Creations in association with t2. The tongue-in-cheek musical is based on Suchitra’s 2013 book Drama Queen about her life after divorce from filmmaker Shekhar Kapur.

The laugh-a-minute semi-autobiographical musical scripted by Suchitra has her acting and singing, playing the part of a stressed-out single mother — fetching daughter Kaveri to and from piano classes, depending on the domestic help to run the household, having to bear her mother’s non-stop nagging, running to the shrink for her sanity and, most importantly, looking for a rich husband! Experimenting with a new format, Suchitra was the only actor seen on stage but it wasn’t a monologue (it would be a spoiler to reveal more). Filmmakers Nagesh Kukunoor and Ken Ghosh, and actresses Suchitra Pillai and Sujata Kumar (Suchitra Krishnamoorthi’s sister who played Sridevi’s New York-based sister in English Vinglish) have all lent their voices to the play.

 

SUCHITRA SPEAKS 

Is this the first time you’re staging a play in Calcutta?

It is. Drama Queen premiered in Mumbai late last year and we’ve been touring different cities ever since. 
But I’ve come to Calcutta before with my parents and for the promotion of my music albums. The city has a lot of character. It’s steeped in history, culture and the people are intelligent. I also know the city has great saris and ventured to Gariahat to shop the other day. It was terribly hot, the pre-Puja rush was overwhelming but I still managed to buy a few beautiful saris. 

What sort of feedback are you getting? Do you think single mothers could take a leaf out of your character in the play? 

People have appreciated the play but then everyone has their own way of dealing with issues. I, for one, can’t dwell in self-pity. In fact whenever someone invites me to talk about such things, I tell them I’m not going to their “pity party”. I completely endorse a saying by Charlie Chaplin — “Life is a tragedy when seen in close-up, but a comedy in long shot”. That’s what this play is about. 

How are you so comfortable baring your life before complete strangers?

Well, the script is part fiction, part reality and it’s in a lighter vein. It’s not demeaning or scandalous so I don’t have anything to be embarrassed about.

Besides, I really don’t care about being judged, else I wouldn’t have written the book in the first place. Plus my friends like Karan Johar and Ram Gopal Varma have been sporting enough to let me use their names in the script. Those like Nagesh Kukunoor and Ken Ghosh even did the voiceovers for their characters in the play.

The nagging mom’s role in the play was hilarious! What does your own mom have to say about it?

(Laughs) Actually many people come and tell me their own mothers are exactly the same. But my mom is a sport. When she came to watch the play, she laughed the loudest!
For the mom’s voice, we got my real-life elder sister, Sujata. She was perfect as she knew all the nuances of the person the role is based on.

It was lovely hearing you sing in the play…

Thank you but it wasn’t just me. My daughter Kaveri’s sung the closing track, Where I’m Going. She’s 16 now and has trained in Hindustani classical. She’s also learning western music, the piano and guitar. I am a trained singer and, in fact, thanks to Kaveri, I am motivated to do my riyaz.

So will we get to see more of you now?

Well I’ve stayed away from doing much work the last few years as Kaveri was young and needed me. Now that she’s older, I shall start doing things that interest me. Acting, singing, writing, painting… they are all part of my nature. In fact, that’s one of the things I liked about Drama Queen — it let me express myself as an actor, writer and singer. 

Text: Brinda Sarkar
Pictures: Gopal Senapati