Metro Plus
Bangalore
Chennai
Coimbatore
Delhi
Hyderabad
Kochi
Madurai
Thiruvananthapuram
Visakhapatnam
Of performances great and small
|
Farooque Sheikh is passionate about acting. A well-known face on the big and small screen, he talks about `Tumhari Amrita' staged in the city recently and shares his thoughts on theatre with RADHIKA RAJAMANI.
|
FAROOQUE SHEIKH was so enthralled by the reading of Tumhari Amrita by the writer Javed Siddiqui that he instantly agreed to do it when approached by Feroz Khan, the director years ago. "Actually I had never met Feroz Khan saab before this play. Both Shabana and I thought it was an excellent script and we immediately said yes. Of course, we all believed that it would be like an experimental theatre production and we would do four or five shows beginning with the Prithvi Festival in honour of Jennifer Kapoor and we will close it down after that," says Farooque Sheikh relaxing at the ITC Kakatiya Sheraton Hotel and Towers the day before staging the play Tumhari Amrita. The fact is even after 11 years the play is popular. The versatile actor whose career blossomed in the era of the parallel cinema genre, and who has essayed many interesting `common man' roles in films like Chashme Baddoor, Katha, Bazaar, Gaman and Umrao Jaan is now a familiar face on television with his anchoring and acting appearances on Jeene Isi Ka Naam Hai and Kashmeer.
"We have performed in many parts of the world," says Farooque. How does it feel to be a part of it still? "The interesting part is with the passage of years we have a different audience who react differently. Also we get a lot of repeat audiences who have seen the play and enjoyed the writing so much that they have come back to see it. In this particular play I personally believe strongly that the audience is like a third character - and because each audience is different therefore each show turns out to be completely different. We thoroughly enjoy doing it."
What do you think is the USP of the play that has endeared it to audiences even after so many years? " Script," pat comes the reply. "I think, the writer Javed Siddique, is the hero of the play. There is no denying the fact that his contribution is the most significant. Then comes the director." Those who saw the play at Shilpa Kala Vedika would vouch for the mesmerising script in the experimental production. No fancy settings, only minimum props (just two tables and two chairs), yet the play was forceful enough to keep one chained to the chair. A story of an exchange of letters between two individuals Amrita Nigam (Shabana Azmi) and Zulfiqar Haider (Farooque Sheikh), the entire play was laced with poignant experiences as it traced the relationship through 35 years from childhood, adolescence and adulthood juxtaposed with the backdrop of a changing socio-political background. Beginning in the 1940s, it traverses through the freedom struggle, the heart-rending Partition, Independence and the subsequent years of the Prime Ministership of Jawaharlal Nehru and Indira Gandhi. One would have thought just listening to the emotive reading (as there was no action on stage) by both Farooque and Shabana would be monotonous. On the contrary, it was riveting - for both the seasoned stars through their voice intonation and perfect diction created the right atmosphere. A subtle humour in the script established the instant rapport with the audience.
The letters written by both Amrita and Zulfi to each other convey their feelings and impressions of everything around them - people and events. Their poignant relationship tackles the ups and downs in their lives and leaves a lingering impact on your mind. Farooque Sheikh continues with his involvement in theatre. "I have just premiered a new play in Dubai where we did three shows. I got back just two days ago. It is called Azhar ka khwab - broadly based on Shaw's Pygmalion. It's been more or less a cooperative effort between myself and the team but because I had seen Balraj Sahni doing the play for Indian People's Theatre Association (IPTA) about 35 years ago. I remember what the mood of the play was."
About theatre and how it can be sustained, he said, "the Hindi film industry offers roles to film stars and being who they are they tend to bring an audience attraction of their own. I think people are now looking for an alternative medium of entertainment - not to entirely obfuscate the other media but as an additional medium. If they are film or television stars the excitement is greater. Theatre has a good future at least in the Hindi-speaking areas because the way tickets are being priced and being sold out shows people are turning to theatre."
Do you think theatre is taking up social issues? "Sometimes. Unfortunately that is not the mainstream of our theatre and that is not the most popular form but people are taking it up. It is indeed sad that in the last decade what is not politically acceptable is not being allowed even at the level of an aesthetic effort and the arts becomes the first victim of this because the artiste always tries to go beyond a little of his or her own time." Is this attitude stifling theatre? "It is to a certain extent because you know when you have written a play A, B or C and you know it cannot be staged, then it cramps your creative energy. It also discourages other people from trying anything different. Then everybody wants to toe the soft safe line."
LETTERS OVER TIME: Shabhana Azmi and Farooque Sheikh in a scene from 'Tumhari Amrita'.
Most of English theatre seems to be largely adaptations of foreign plays barring a few. Is there some original work going on? "There are young playwrights now. And there is untapped material in regional theatre which has not been utilised as yet or looked into. That can be brought to the fore. As regards social pertinence in theatre there is so much in our society that can evoke a writer to pen down a play. It would be wonderful if they had the free play to do it." Farooque Sheikh is in the news for his portrayal of a Kashmiri Pandit on the tele-serial Kashmeer which unfortunately wound up before the stipulated 26 episodes. The serial was refreshing from the inundation of saas-bahu soaps and `close to life' depiction of the situation. "It is sad that we had to wind it up. Those who were doing Kashmeer were doing it at the cost of great financial benefit he/she would have got otherwise. We were all willing to put our backs to the job because we all thought we were doing something different and significant. It just so turned out that like I said if you make anybody uncomfortable you get thrown out."
Has it evoked response in terms of what was shown? "I have met lot of people who have had something to say about the aborted continuity of Kashmeer and lot of people have reiterated about its refreshing nature. It is socially pertinent"How was it playing the role of the Kashmiri Pandit? "I have done a lot of work in Kashmir right from the 1970s downwards - people were never interacting with each other on a Hindu, Muslim or whatever basis. It was just that everyone was a Kashmiri. The role just required me to be playing the role of a learned, sensitive human being who for no fault of his gets his life thrown asunder which is what the political systems in any part of the world do - they completely turn your life upside down."
One wonders whether more such experiments would be undertaken. "Well if this is the approach - I basically find that TV channels are not interested in the substance of their material they are interested in the ratings." Farooque Sheikh is happy to talk about anchoring Jeene isi kaa naam hai. "The concept of the programme was like calling a successful person home for dinner. You call him home and you treat him as you would do to a friend and chat. The fact he/she has been an achiever adds to the spice of the conversation. It was a homely, informal interaction between the person and you. I used to enjoy it tremendously. The homework was done by the NDTV team. Since I insisted there would be no prepared questions and no questionnaire given to the invitee it used to be spontaneous. That was a big plus to the programme," he says.
Farooque Sheikh has been visiting Hyderabad off and on. How does he find the city now? "Well the city has changed for the better. But it is still not the Hyderabad I knew. I would always prefer the old-world Hyderabad." And he does not hesitate to say the "old-world charm is on its last toes here like in other cities."
He is surely passionate about acting. "Acting gives me a social face which I can use in a number of other ways. The greatest remuneration an actor receives is immense goodwill and affection. At the same time it is also a responsibility we have to repay." Are you content with life? Do you aspire to do something? "I definitely aspire to do better work, especially in cinema. I am not getting the kind of films I would like to do. I aspire to a social set up that is much more balanced, fair and healthy for my children to grow up as it was when I was growing up. I grew up in an India that was highly aspirational and was looking up to much better ideals than my children are looking up to now but I don't think that is going to happen. Things will perhaps (God forbid) get worse before they get any better," he winds up.
Photo: P.V. Sivakumar
Printer friendly
page
Send this article to Friends by
E-Mail
Metro Plus
Bangalore
Chennai
Coimbatore
Delhi
Hyderabad
Kochi
Madurai
Thiruvananthapuram
Visakhapatnam
|
