“It is not in the stars to hold our destiny but in ourselves.” These famous words by William Shakespeare encapsulate the story of filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt’s new play Baat Niklegi Toh which will be staged in Mumbai this weekend. The production, presented by Bhatt which premiered in New Delhi earlier this month, chronicles the success story of a small-town boy from Bihar, Ajay Mishra. He aspires to become an IAS officer to help his family get rid of poverty. How he succeeds in his endeavour despite all the adversities forms the crux of the plot.
Imran Zahid, who has earlier acted in The Last Salute , based on Iraqi journalist Muntadhar Al-Zaidi's book, The Last Salute to President Bush, as well as other plays based on Bhatt’s movies like Arth, Daddy and Hamari Adhuri Kahani, plays the protagonist, in Baat Niklegi Toh . Like the play’s protagonist, Zahid too hails from Bihar, and could relate to his character’s trials and tribulations. “Like Ajay, I too hail from a humble background and could understand his need to become an IAS office to give his family the social acceptance they crave for. Ajay speaks Bihari and suffers from a culture shock when he comes to the capital. I understood these aspects as even I had faced them.”
To prepare for the role, Zahid met Govind Jaiswal, one of the toppers of the IAS exam 2007 batch and the son of a rickshaw puller. “It was enlightening as well as hugely inspiring to meet Jaiswal. He shared some nuggets from his life that gave me a better perspective of his character and willpower.”
The play set in the 1990s, highlights the nation’s plight when it was struggling with issues of caste, political conflict and communal violence. Journalist-turned- writer Dinesh Gautam, who has penned the script says, “The story touches upon the Mandal commission, Harshad Mehta scam, demolition of the Babri Masjid, 1992-93 communal riots and 1993 bomb blasts in Mumbai. These events were watershed moments in the 90s and had a long-standing impact on the nation’s history. We wanted to depict how they affected a common man.”
Director Viren Basoya, who has been closely associated with Arvind Gaur’s Asmita Theatre group known for making socially relevant plays, adds that Baat Niklegi Toh has a minimalistic look. “We wanted the play’s look to be in sync with the protagonist’s journey and intended to focus on his willpower and confidence that help him to achieve his goal,” says Basoya.
Zahid says that they intend to stage the production in smaller towns to reach out to the youth while adding that he’s already in talks with Bhatt for their next production, Milne Do . “It is an Indo-Pak play and will involve artistes from both the countries. Shafqat Amanat Ali, Ghulam Ali and Ali Zafar will lend their voice to it. We plan to premiere it this October,” says the actor.
Baat Niklegi Toh will be staged on June 24 at 7:30 p.m. at Sophia Bhabha Auditorium. For more details see bookmyshow.com
