And they lived happily ever after. If not in life, so what.... Devdutt and Bhavna Bose. A romantic proposal. A marriage gone sour. Ego. A feeling of betrayal. Alleged infidelity. A gunshot. A “cursed” family. And, yet, in the midst of all this emotional chaos, somewhere a deep sense of longing. Call it love or passion for each other that keeps the flame burning after the anguish has been extinguished. He writes her long letters, nursing his drink, and you feel a deep chasm looming. She cries out her dead husband’s name even while being intimate with a stranger. Gardish Mein Taare presented by Centre Stage Creations and partnered by t2, Saif Hyder Hasan’s take on Guru Dutt- Geeta Dutt’s “rotten marriage”, could be your story, could be mine.
Their marital turmoil is narrated in flashback after Devdutt (Arif Zakaria) shoots himself. The narrative flits between the present and the past through Bhavna’s (Sonali Kulkarni) interrogation and Devdutt’s letter-soliloquies. The play is peppered with references to Raj Kapoor, Bombay of yore, Pather Panchali, golden oldies.... A huge screen with images including that of retro stars gives the play a celluloid flavour.
“In Mumbai, people did say that the play was not a play... it was cinematic. There is a new audience who may not like the verbosity of theatre. And then we will cry that theatre is not getting an audience. When we talk of commercial theatre, we talk about comedies, sex comedies and family dramas. A lot of these subjects can be done commercially if you get good actors, have a great background score, script and a technical team,” Hasan told t2 after the play opened to a packed GD Birla Sabhagar on April 4.
Hasan has also played with lights — red signifying turbulence and blue serenity. “I treat lights as a character. So the emotions which the characters are experiencing have to be enhanced with lights. If you give the audience the right cocktail of music, script, performance and lights, then it is an experience you are taking home,” said Hasan.
The sets reflect the retro mood. Bhavna and Devdutt are rarely shown together. The distance a silent statement of them drifting apart.
Zakaria, back on stage after 15 years or more, lends the right amount of melancholy to Devdutt. “Guru Dutt was a brilliant filmmaker… his song picturisation and compositions were unique, but I think somewhere he was an emotionally weak man which I find very fascinating. There is this image of a great director, but deep down he was just an ordinary human being,” he told t2 minutes before the show.
Sonali as a lonely Bhavna who takes to drink to drown her sorrows, is subtly arresting. Her manic laughter that is laced with immense pain, gave us goosebumps. “The kind of passion and complexities she had... the way she was struggling to be a good wife, mother and performer.... It was amazing to go through her demanding times,”
said Sonali.
Believe it or not, Sonali Kulkarni had to wait for her turn to act in plays during her college days. The actress chatted with t2 while getting her hair done in GD Birla Sabhagar’s make-up room.
How often do you come to Calcutta?
I used to come frequently to Calcutta earlier, but it’s been more than six years that I haven’t turned up here. Work didn’t call me. Friends didn’t call me. (Laughs) I am extremely fond of Calcutta and people over here. I have a beautiful circle of friends. I was trying to spot some of the landmarks. Not that I was friends with Rituparno (Ghosh), but I am missing him terribly. We’d met a few times and we had common friends. I wish he had come to see my play.
Have you seen any Bengali plays?
I haven’t got as much chance to watch Bangla plays, but I have attended a workshop by Tapas Sen (the light legend). In my college days I started designing lights. I did not get a chance to act in plays. So, I decided that I would venture into costumes. I was the stage manager for a long time. So, right from sweeping the stage to folding the costumes and designing lights, I have done everything.
What does theatre bring out in you?
I think it tunes me as an actor. Films can make you complacent. They bring money and fame, but theatre is something where you can look for yourself. You can dream of sculpting yourself again. Theatre gives you time for those rehearsals. I am a great gambler. I am not very good at counting. I can do 10 films and five plays or I can do five plays and no films.
Films or theatre?
Both. I love films because I have worked in a variety of languages. I have fearlessly worked in regional films and international films. Films have given me my own identity and the reach that any actor would look for. I did not dream of becoming a filmstar, but I became one and I am grateful for that. That is because of my friend, philosopher and guide Satyadev Dubeyji.
You miss him...
Yes, I do miss him. The kind of surreal personality and theatre treatment that he had, I strongly believe that he is around. He is watching every show of mine.
What was the biggest learning?
It may sound cliched... but self-acceptance because I had this huge urge of entertaining people... not necessarily a bigger audience, but my friends and people around me. When I was struggling, Dubeyji took out that struggle. You will always have some or the other excuse, but if you want to sell your excuses, then it is a strategy, if you want to shed it, then it’s freedom. He showed me the path to freedom and I became much more confident. My performance is the biggest reality for me. That is the strength of an artiste. That is priceless.
Is there a kind of work that you do just for your soul?
I believe in living my life for my soul. I live it to my fullest. I cook, go cycling, pay my bills.... That’s where I feel in touch with life. May be that’s a need for the writer and actor in me. I play different characters. I like observing. The new demanding and attractive factor in my life is I am a new mother. It’s fun to have a child (three-and-a-half-year-old daughter Kaveri) and experience that unconditional love. She is a darling... loves music and nature.
You have cut down on work in Bollywood...
I have been gambling heavily. I did Singham which scored about 150 crore at the box office. Then I did The Good Road which went for the Oscars. Then I did Deool which won the best film at the National Awards. The gamble paid off. Last year I did Dr. Prakash Baba Amte with Nana Patekar. It was one of the top grossers in Marathi cinema. Playing Manda Amte was a dream role. I also produced White Lily and Night Rider (in Marathi and Hinglish) and I also played the main lead. We lost Rasika Joshi who used to play the part I am playing. The entire team came up to me and said they wanted to revive the play. I said yes. Gardish Mein Taare is running to full houses wherever we are travelling. Aga Bai Arechya 2! is also releasing.
Is theatre direction next?
I don’t see myself as that sorted. Being a director requires a certain detachment from the life that you are living. I am too involved.
You write a lot...
I have written books, plays, poetry.... Writing is on my mind but acting keeps me busy. Maybe, I need to chalk out, plan and get a little more detached.
Finally, what would you tell young people... why should they come and watch theatre?
We are losing touch with this young audience. I feel there is a huge amount of energy in theatre. You can get more involved in a play. You are so distant in a film. Rather than waking up to an American or a European production, it is important to value what we have.
