A simple play about a psychological problem that a lot people in the creative sphere and corporate world suffer from. That’s how actor Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub describes Iss Kambakht Sathe Ka Kya Karein , his new play that opens at Swatantryaveer Savarkar Rashtriya Smarak on May 12, and to be staged at the NCPA on May 18. So what is this creative, corporate fixation all about? Jealousy, ambition, and intense competitiveness.
Ayyub plays Abhay, an ad filmmaker, who feels ignored and unrecognised for all his talent. To him it’s Sathe, who seems to be getting it all: fame, recognition, respect, money and awards. Abhay’s resentment is in spite of the fact that Sathe is not poaching on his turf. He is not an ad filmmaker like Abhay; he is into making documentaries. “Abhay’s relationship with his wife [Salma] and his personal life are on the verge of ruin because of his hang-up,” says Ayyub. Directed by Ayyub’s wife Rasika Agashe, who also plays Salma, the play is based on the Rajeev Naik original in Marathi. It has been translated into Hindi/English by Jyoti Subhash.
Still relevantNaik wrote the play way back in 1995, but it still rings a bell. In fact, it has gained in relevance over the years with the rat race getting more severe, and contentment and satisfaction becoming rarer by the day.
“There are many moments in the play that you will relate to,” says Ayyub. Did he identify with them too? Is he competitive in real life as well? Not quite as much. The relationship dynamic at home is actually converse. Rasika is the one who is prone to cribbing, Ayyub is the calm centre.
“Perhaps it’s because I come from a middle class family of teachers. Teachers are more at ease and peaceful.” But he does get ruffled by what he perceives as creative mediocrity, more so by a celebration of mediocrity in cinema.
Ayyub read Naik’s play first in 2008, one year after graduating from Delhi’s National School of Drama. Now, he is coming back to stage after almost five to six years. He was actively involved in Delhi theatre circuit for three years after passing out of NSD. He worked with big names like Ram Gopal Bajaj and Kirti Jain, directing NSD Repertory plays and staging a children’s version of Charandas Chor . However, the connect broke a little when Ayyub moved to Mumbai in 2010. The actor began courting the camera instead and soon turned a crowd favourite as Murari in Raanjhana and Chintu in Tanu Weds Manu Returns . There was a play he did for Writer’s Block. He played Peer Gynt in a Henrik Ibsen festival organised by Ila Arun. But these were one-off attempts.
The most consistent involvement with plays has been through the couple’s own small theatre group, Being Association. They attempted protest theatre in 2014 with the much acclaimed Museum… of Species in Danger, which was structured around monologues by women. The group keeps organising readings quite regularly at Aaram Nagar.
Now, there are proposals to work with Zee on a theatre project and with Nandita Das on cineplays. In fact, Ayub has intentionally not picked up film offers for the next five months. On his sabbatical, he wants to focus on theatre and the actor in him to reconnect with his home turf. “It is theatre that gives an actor the most satisfaction, it makes you feel alive.”
In his initial days in films, Ayyub carried the mood of the character through the entire day of shoot; this affected him emotionally. “I was told to switch on and switch off depending on my shot, and to relax before getting into a situation.” So, when he came back to theatre, Ayyub realised that this method had decreased his concentration span on stage. “The skill level was going down.” So, going back to stage has been a cathartic process. “You can try out new things in theatre, film doesn’t allow any mistakes. It is more about technical than an internal learning of a character,” he says.
“Everything is done from a conscious mind, whereas in theatre you build a role from the subconscious.”
It’s a long gap away from the movies then, more so because his new film with SRK, Raees , has been pushed to a January release. An independent film, Dhusar (Grey), co-starring Subrat Dutta, Anjali Patil and Seema Biswas is ready for release. Khalid Mohamed’s remake of the Sai Paranjape original Katha has also been shot and ready.
Ayyub reprises Naseeruddin Shah’s role in the remake with Manish Paul as Farooque Sheikh and Sharmiela Mandre filling in for Deepti Naval. There are two big films to be announced soon for which he begins work in September. Stage might be the first love, one which refuses to die, but films keep his life and also his theatre group moving: “For doing theatre you have to pay out of your own pocket.”
