Naseeruddin Shah will be in town from Tuesday with his theatre troupe, Motley, to stage The Father. Originally written in French by Florian Zeller The Father was translated by Christopher Hampton.
The production has been directed by Naseer and co-directed by wife Ratna Pathak Shah. The cast also includes Naseer’s daughter Heeba Shah, Saahil Vaid and Prerna Chawla.
Talking over the phone, Naseer says: “Paresh Rawal told me about the play and brought me a copy for which I’m extremely grateful. What is so fascinating is that it is about a man who has a severe case of dementia. It is written in a way that the audience is put into the character’s shoes. In the scene where he doesn’t recognise his daughter, she is played by a different actor. So the audience sees what he’s seeing.”
He adds, “At several shows, we have had walkouts, either because they find the plight of the character unbearable or they can’t understand what the hell is going on. But we have also had an equal number of people who have been appreciative.”
As for the question of whether there is more awareness and more conversations around mental health now, Naseer says, “In India, there is a massive amount to do. There is still a terrible stigma. But hopefully in the cities at least, it is improving and awareness is rising that it is not pagalpan ; it is a condition that can strike anybody.”
The play has had three-month-long runs in September 2017 and 2018 at the NCPA, Mumbai, and November to December 2017 at Prithvi Theatre, Mumbai.
“It is fantastic for the actors! We’ve managed to do about 80 shows of this play in a year, which is what we manage in 10 years usually. I was fed up with that. So I was determined to do long runs of the play,” he says.
He says that it has also been a disciplining experience because the actors have realised that doing 35 shows in a month leads to a great deal of improvement. I hope I can continue doing this. I don’t hope to start a movement because I’m aware that most theatre groups don’t have the resources to do this kind of thing. But I wish more people would attempt it.”
Scope for improvisation
As for whether there is scope for improvisation, Naseer says, “Absolutely. I never fix anything in stone. The set, the design, the acting: everything falls into place as the production is evolving as we keep reading it. I never take less than six months. I’d like to emphasise this because there are many groups who get a play ready in two weeks. It’s something I strongly disapprove of.”
On League of Extraordinary Gentlemen
Recently, there was an article on the Film Companion website on “worst performances by great actors”. For Naseer, the film listed was The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen.
The actor laughs saying, “That was one of the most boring experiences I have ever had. The shooting dragged on for six months but I was making so much money out of it that I didn’t complain too much.The film itself was unbearable; I could not sit through it.”
His performance, he says, “I wouldn’t call it bad. It got buried among all those special effects. I’ve given plenty of worse performances. There are other bad performances such as Zinda Jala Doonga (1988) and Mujhe Meri Biwi Se Bachaao (2001).”
Favourite performance
As for his favourite performances, he says, “My favourite is Masoom (1983) and the television series, Mirza Ghalib . Masoom is a lovely film that has introduced me to three generations of children. Even kids today sing songs from the film. Anywhere I go, people have seen that and Jaane Bhi Do Yaaron .”
The Father will be staged at Ranga Shankara for two weeks from April 23 at 7.30 pm. Tickets are available on bookmyshow
