Dubey directs Naseeruddin in Antigone

Satyadev Dubey doesn’t take up the pen too often. The stage veteran, who has been a mentor to Naseeruddin Shah, Amol Palekar, Amrish Puri and more, is coming up with a new play after a long gap. Khuda Ke Liye Mat Dekhna will open in July at Prithvi Theatre.

A t2 chat with Dubey...

How different is Khuda Ke Liye Mat Dekhna from your other plays?

It should be different in every way possible, that is what I always aim to do whether I am director, writer or actor. I must always be able to give something new to the audience. But basically the play is no different from say Sambhog Se Sanyas Tak which I had written 35years back, or Aprathyashith or Inshah Allaha, Bekar Ke Bak Bak or the Marathi play Tham Lakshmi Kumkum Laute because they are all autobiographical. I wrote It could only Happen in London while I was actually in London and Flirt in Your Dreams is about teacher-student relationships and that is what I have been all my life — a teacher. Khuda Ke Liye Mat Dekhna is also autobiographical.

What prompted you to write this play?

I write plays to work out my own problems. In fact so self-centred have I been that there are actually four versions of me on the stage. This one has come after a long time and people were after me to write something. I began two months back while recuperating in hospital.

So, here you will find the central character as a teacher who is trying to teach acting and write a play. There are his students with whom he interacts and three alter egos whom I call the three Dubeynskys (the name being a variant of my name Dubey, once used by a friend). The three Dubeynskys are antagonistic. They criticise the main character, argue with him and help him see things differently. All my experiences as actor, playwright and director are interwoven.

Where does the play go from there?

I don’t know. I have written only the first half, the second half is under construction. Unlike others writer-directors who start with a composite script with every line preconceived and in place, my plays grow out of discussions I have with my friends and actors.

It is a process because I am dealing with my real queries about the meaning of life. I ask and I ask. Often people write out scenes for me. The basic play is mine but others contribute. In Tham Lakshmi Kumkum Laute, seven or eight people have written scenes and in this play there is a scene written entirely by a young student called Medali. So the play is being constantly rewritten and adjusted.

What does the title imply?

The title, you could say, is a tribute to the film by that name (Khuda Kay Liye). Though I haven’t seen it, I liked the title. It asks you not to come and watch but is exciting enough to make the audience want to come and see.

Have you thought of the sets and costumes?

There will be lots of costumes but no sets and minimal props, maybe just three chairs for the three Dubeynskys. I have never really cared for sets.... Even in Antigone (featuring Naseeruddin Shah and Ratna Pathak Shah), it was just a decorative thing to which I agreed on the request of the production manager. Stage space for me is sacred, something only I can decide and design, and I like to leave it as blank as possible. Sets just take up space and take away your freedom. I like a lot of movement on stage, a lot of choreography — so just a platform or two is enough.

Who are your actors?

They are all new, except Ashish Khurana, who is doing the lead. The three Dubeynskys are being played by Khaled Mohammed, Jagdish Purohit and Shekh Sahani.